Hospitality & Tourism

Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management

The Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in hospitality operations, tourism management, destination development, and sustainable tourism. The programme combines hospitality and tourism theory with practical management application, strategic planning, and research.

Core areas include hospitality management, tourism planning and policy, destination management, hospitality operations, food service management, hospitality financial management, sustainable tourism, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, case studies, and research.

The programme is offered by Kenyatta University as MSc in Hospitality and Tourism Management through the School of Business, Economics and Tourism, and Kenya Methodist University through the School of Business and Economics. KU is a public university and KeMU is a private university, both offering programmes over two academic years.

Students develop competencies in hospitality operations, tourism planning, destination management, sustainable tourism development, and hospitality marketing. The programme includes coursework, examinations, and a supervised research thesis or project, preparing graduates for leadership roles in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Kenyatta University charges approximately KES 267,000/year for the programme. KeMU fees not independently verified for this specific programme. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree with at least Lower Second Class Honours in Hospitality and Tourism Management or related fields from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as hospitality and tourism managers, destination managers, tourism planners, hospitality consultants, event managers, and lecturers in hospitality and tourism across hotels, tourism boards, travel companies, event organisations, government ministries, and universities.

Skills Required

Hospitality and Tourism Strategic Management
Tourism Planning and Policy Development
Destination Management and Marketing
Hospitality Operations and Service Management
Sustainable Tourism Development
Hospitality Financial Management and Control
Events and Conference Management
Hospitality and Tourism Marketing
Research Methods in Hospitality and Tourism
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Hospitality and Tourism Strategic Management
Tourism Planning and Policy Development
Destination Management and Marketing
Hospitality Operations and Service Management
Sustainable Tourism Development
Hospitality Financial Management and Control
Events and Conference Management
Hospitality and Tourism Marketing
Research Methods in Hospitality and Tourism
Thesis Research

Certifications

UNWTO Tourism Certification
KAHC Professional Certification

Specializations

Hospitality Management

Focuses on hospitality management, covering operations, strategy, finance, quality, and managing hospitality establishments.

Tourism Management

Examines tourism management, covering planning, policy, development, marketing, and managing tourism.

Destination Management

Covers destination management, covering development, marketing, sustainability, governance, and managing destinations.

Sustainable Tourism

Focuses on sustainable tourism, covering conservation, community, eco-tourism, policy, and managing sustainable tourism.

Events and Conferences

Examines events and conferences, covering planning, management, operations, marketing, and managing events.

Hospitality Finance

Covers hospitality finance, covering accounting, control, budgeting, revenue, and managing hospitality finance.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 267,000
Private, up to: Ksh 600,000
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time, Online
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 25 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Hospitality and Tourism Strategic Management
Tourism Planning and Policy Development
Destination Management and Marketing
Hospitality Operations and Service Management
Sustainable Tourism Development
Hospitality Financial Management and Control
Events and Conference Management
Hospitality and Tourism Marketing
Research Methods in Hospitality and Tourism
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Hospitality Management Information Systems
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines information systems, technology, data, operations, and managing hospitality IT systems.
Statistics for Hospitality and Tourism
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers statistics, data, analysis, methods, and managing hospitality and tourism data.
Research Methods in Hospitality and Tourism
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research design, data collection, analysis, hospitality and tourism research methods, and conducting research, preparing students for their thesis.
Strategic Management for Global Hospitality
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines strategic management, planning, competitiveness, global, and managing hospitality strategy.
Human Capital Management and Development
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers recruitment, training, development, retention, performance, and managing hospitality and tourism workforce.
Quality Service Management in Hotel and Tourism
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines standards, assurance, improvement, customer, and managing service quality in hospitality and tourism.
Hotel Control and Decision Accounting
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers accounting, control, budgeting, revenue, decisions, and managing hospitality finance.
Chain Hotel Operations Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines chain operations, franchises, management, standards, and managing multi-unit hotel operations.
Global Branding and Luxury Experience Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers branding, luxury, experience, global, and managing hospitality branding and experiences.
Tourism Planning and Policy
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines tourism planning, policy, development, governance, and managing tourism planning.
Sustainable Tourism Development
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers sustainability, conservation, community, eco-tourism, policy, and managing sustainable tourism.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 29 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a hospitality and tourism topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and hospitality and tourism knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Hospitality Management
Focuses on hospitality management, covering operations, strategy, finance, quality, and managing hospitality establishments.
Tourism Management
Examines tourism management, covering planning, policy, development, marketing, and managing tourism.
Destination Management
Covers destination management, covering development, marketing, sustainability, governance, and managing destinations.
Sustainable Tourism
Focuses on sustainable tourism, covering conservation, community, eco-tourism, policy, and managing sustainable tourism.
Events and Conferences
Examines events and conferences, covering planning, management, operations, marketing, and managing events.
Hospitality Finance
Covers hospitality finance, covering accounting, control, budgeting, revenue, and managing hospitality finance.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Hospitality and Tourism Management programme combines lectures, case studies, seminars, practical workshops, and independent study. Sessions cover hospitality management, tourism planning, destination management, sustainable tourism, and events. Hospitality management sessions examine operations, strategy, finance, quality, and managing hospitality. Tourism planning sessions cover policy, development, planning, governance, and managing tourism. Destination management sessions cover development, marketing, sustainability, governance, and managing destinations. Sustainable tourism sessions cover conservation, community, eco-tourism, policy, and managing sustainable tourism. Events sessions cover planning, management, operations, marketing, and managing events. Hospitality finance sessions cover accounting, control, budgeting, revenue, and managing hospitality finance. Marketing sessions cover strategy, branding, digital, sales, and managing hospitality and tourism marketing. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering research design, data collection, and analysis. Case studies provide opportunities for analysing real hospitality and tourism scenarios. Seminars and discussion groups provide opportunities for debating current issues and presenting research findings. Practical workshops provide hands-on experience with hospitality operations, event planning, and destination marketing. Guest lectures from experienced hotel managers, tourism professionals, and consultants provide practical insights. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a hospitality and tourism topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

High demand for hospitality and tourism professionals with Kenya's growing tourism industry and government tourism initiatives.
Programme offered by both public (KU) and private (KeMU) universities, providing institutional choice.
KU offers competitive public university fees at approximately KES 267,000/year.
Programme combines hospitality and tourism, providing broader career opportunities than either alone.

Against it

KeMU specific fees for this programme not independently verified.
Programme requires hospitality or tourism background, limiting access for non-related graduates.
Tourism industry is sensitive to economic downturns, security concerns, and seasonal fluctuations.
Industry experience is often required for senior positions beyond academic qualifications.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 91 hospitality & tourism courses

Public187k to 267k

187k at Moi University267k at Kenyatta University

Private143k to 600k

143k at Kabarak University600k at Strathmore University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

KU 267,000/yr (mawese.com). Moi 187,200/yr. Strathmore 600,000/yr (strathmore.edu).

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. KU may offer scholarships for eligible students. UNWTO may offer tourism fellowships. Some hotels, tourism companies, and government agencies may sponsor staff for postgraduate study.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
KU Scholarship
UNWTO Tourism Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
KU Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyatta University offers scholarships for eligible postgraduate students.
UNWTO Tourism Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
UNWTO provides fellowships for tourism training and research.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: KU requires Bachelor of Science with Lower Second Class Honours and above in Hospitality and Tourism Management or related fields. KeMU requires Bachelor's degree with Second Class Upper Division or equivalent from a recognised university. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

3 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework40% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, case study analyses, project work, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination60% of the mark
Written examinations covering hospitality management, tourism planning, destination management, and sustainable tourism.
Research Thesis or Project
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis or project on a hospitality and tourism topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Kenyatta University (public) and Kenya Methodist University (private) offer MSc programmes in Hospitality and Tourism Management. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in hospitality and tourism management. Graduates are eligible for UNWTO tourism certification and KAHC professional certification.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Kenyatta University (public) and Kenya Methodist University (private) offer MSc programmes in Hospitality and Tourism Management. All programmes meet CUE standards for postgraduate training in hospitality and tourism management. Graduates are eligible for UNWTO tourism certification and KAHC professional certification.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Hospitality and Tourism Manager
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages hospitality and tourism operations, overseeing strategy, operations, quality, and managing hospitality and tourism establishments.
Destination Manager
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages tourism destinations, overseeing development, marketing, sustainability, and managing destinations.
Tourism Planner
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Plans tourism development, overseeing policy, planning, development, and managing tourism planning.
Hospitality Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 500,000
Provides hospitality consulting, overseeing advisory, planning, evaluation, and managing hospitality consulting.
Event Manager
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages events, overseeing planning, operations, marketing, and managing events and conferences.
Hospitality and Tourism Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches hospitality and tourism at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

Opera PMS
SoftwarePrimary
Opera PMS for hotel management, covering reservations, front office, operations, and managing hotel systems.
SPSS
Software
SPSS for research analysis, covering data, statistics, analysis, and managing hospitality and tourism research data.
Excel
Software
Excel for hospitality finance, covering budgeting, analysis, reporting, and managing hospitality finances.
GIS Software
Software
GIS software for tourism planning, covering spatial analysis, mapping, and managing tourism spatial data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Hospitality and tourism management is just about running hotels.
The programme covers comprehensive hospitality, tourism, destination, events, sustainability, and policy beyond just running hotels.
This programme is only for hotel workers.
Skills are valuable for tourism planners, destination managers, consultants, educators, and government officials beyond just hotel workers.
Tourism management is just about tours.
Tourism management covers comprehensive planning, policy, development, marketing, sustainability, and economics beyond just tours.
Sustainable tourism is just about eco-tourism.
Sustainable tourism covers comprehensive conservation, community, economic, social, and environmental sustainability beyond just eco-tourism.
Destination management is just about marketing.
Destination management covers comprehensive development, governance, sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and planning beyond just marketing.
This programme has limited career prospects.
Graduates work in diverse sectors including hotels, tourism boards, travel companies, events, consulting, education, and government.