Hospitality & Tourism

Master of Science in Hospitality Management

The Master of Science in Hospitality Management is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in hospitality operations, hotel management, food service management, and tourism industry leadership. The programme combines hospitality theory with practical management application, strategic planning, and research.

Core areas include hospitality strategic management, hospitality operations, food service management, hospitality financial management, human capital management, quality service management, hospitality marketing, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, case studies, and research.

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

Students develop competencies in hospitality operations management, strategic planning, quality service delivery, and hospitality financial management. The programme emphasises advanced academic training that enhances managerial performance and encourages research and development in the hospitality industry.

Mount Kenya University charges approximately KES 119,100/year (KES 59,550/semester for 4 semesters) in regular mode. Maseno University fees not independently verified. Entry requires a Bachelor's degree with at least Upper Second Class Honours in hospitality, tourism, or related fields from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as hospitality managers, hotel operations managers, food and beverage directors, hospitality consultants, event managers, and lecturers in hospitality management across hotels, resorts, restaurants, event companies, tourism boards, consulting firms, and universities.

Skills Required

Hospitality Strategic Management and Planning
Hospitality Operations and Service Management
Food Service and Beverage Management
Hospitality Financial Management and Control
Human Capital Management in Hospitality
Quality Service Management and Assurance
Hospitality Marketing and Branding
Events and Conference Management
Research Methods in Hospitality Management
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Hospitality Strategic Management and Planning
Hospitality Operations and Service Management
Food Service and Beverage Management
Hospitality Financial Management and Control
Human Capital Management in Hospitality
Quality Service Management and Assurance
Hospitality Marketing and Branding
Events and Conference Management
Research Methods in Hospitality Management
Thesis Research

Certifications

IHRA Hospitality Certification
KAHC Professional Certification

Specializations

Hotel Operations Management

Focuses on hotel operations, covering front office, housekeeping, operations, quality, and managing hotel operations.

Food and Beverage Management

Examines food and beverage, covering service, production, quality, operations, and managing food and beverage.

Hospitality Finance

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

Events and Conference Management

Focuses on events and conferences, covering planning, management, operations, marketing, and managing events.

Hospitality Marketing

Examines hospitality marketing, covering strategy, branding, digital, sales, and managing hospitality marketing.

Hospitality Human Resources

Covers HR in hospitality, covering recruitment, training, development, retention, and managing hospitality workforce.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 285,600
Job market: High

The programme

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

Practicalities

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

What you study

10 subjects

Hospitality Strategic Management and Planning
Hospitality Operations and Service Management
Food Service and Beverage Management
Hospitality Financial Management and Control
Human Capital Management in Hospitality
Quality Service Management and Assurance
Hospitality Marketing and Branding
Events and Conference Management
Research Methods in Hospitality Management
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Hospitality Strategic Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines strategic management, planning, competitiveness, global hospitality, and managing hospitality strategy.
Hospitality Operations Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers front office, housekeeping, operations, quality, and managing hotel operations.
Research Methods in Hospitality
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers research design, data collection, analysis, hospitality research methods, and conducting research, preparing students for their thesis.
Food Service Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines production, service, quality, menu, operations, and managing food and beverage.
Hospitality Financial Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers accounting, control, budgeting, revenue, investment, and managing hospitality finance.
Human Capital Management in Hospitality
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines recruitment, training, development, retention, performance, and managing hospitality workforce.
Quality Service Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers standards, assurance, improvement, customer satisfaction, and managing service quality.
Hospitality Marketing and Branding
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines strategy, branding, digital, sales, global, and managing hospitality marketing.
Events and Conference Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers planning, management, operations, marketing, exhibitions, and managing events.
International Gastronomy and Culinary Trends
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines gastronomy, culinary, trends, sustainability, and managing culinary operations.
Hospitality Law and Risk Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers law, contracts, liability, risk, compliance, and managing hospitality legal issues.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 29 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a hospitality management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and hospitality knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Hotel Operations Management
Focuses on hotel operations, covering front office, housekeeping, operations, quality, and managing hotel operations.
Food and Beverage Management
Examines food and beverage, covering service, production, quality, operations, and managing food and beverage.
Hospitality Finance
Covers hospitality finance, covering accounting, control, budgeting, revenue, and managing hospitality finance.
Events and Conference Management
Focuses on events and conferences, covering planning, management, operations, marketing, and managing events.
Hospitality Marketing
Examines hospitality marketing, covering strategy, branding, digital, sales, and managing hospitality marketing.
Hospitality Human Resources
Covers HR in hospitality, covering recruitment, training, development, retention, and managing hospitality workforce.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Hospitality Management programme combines lectures, case studies, seminars, practical workshops, and independent study. Sessions cover hospitality strategy, operations, food service, finance, and human capital. Hospitality strategy sessions examine strategic management, planning, competitiveness, global, and managing hospitality strategy. Operations sessions cover front office, housekeeping, operations, quality, and managing hotel operations. Food service sessions cover production, service, quality, menu, and managing food and beverage. Finance sessions cover accounting, control, budgeting, revenue, and managing hospitality finance. Human capital sessions cover recruitment, training, development, retention, and managing hospitality workforce. Quality service sessions cover standards, assurance, improvement, customer, and managing service quality. Marketing sessions cover strategy, branding, digital, sales, and managing hospitality marketing. Events sessions cover planning, management, operations, marketing, and managing events. Research methods sessions prepare students for their thesis, covering research design, data collection, and analysis. Case studies provide opportunities for analysing real hospitality management scenarios. Seminars and discussion groups provide opportunities for debating current issues in hospitality management and presenting research findings. Practical workshops provide hands-on experience with hospitality operations, service management, and event planning. Guest lectures from experienced hotel managers, hospitality consultants, and industry professionals provide practical insights. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a hospitality management topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

High demand for hospitality management professionals with Kenya's growing tourism and hospitality industry.
Programme offered by both private (MKU) and public (Maseno) universities, providing institutional choice.
MKU offers competitive fees at approximately KES 119,100/year (KES 238,200 total) with multiple study modes.
Graduates are eligible for IHRA and KAHC certifications, enhancing career prospects in hospitality.

Against it

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

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

Public171k to 286k

171k at Maseno University286k at Maasai Mara 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

Unverified. Maasai Mara PDF ~178,000/yr. Maseno yumpu ~134,000/yr. Private unverified.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. MKU may offer scholarships for eligible students. KAHC may offer training grants for hospitality professionals. Some hotels and hospitality companies may sponsor staff for postgraduate study.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
MKU Scholarship
KAHC Training Grant

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
MKU Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
MKU offers scholarships for eligible postgraduate students.
KAHC Training Grant
ScholarshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
KAHC provides training grants for hospitality professionals.

Getting in

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

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: MKU requires Bachelor's degree with Second Class Honours Upper Division or equivalent recognised by Senate. Maseno University requires Upper Second in Ecotourism, Hotel and Institution Management, or related field, or Lower Second with at least two years of relevant work experience. 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, operations, finance, and marketing.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on a hospitality management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and hospitality knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

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

Accredited by

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

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Hospitality Manager
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages hospitality operations, overseeing strategy, operations, quality, and managing hospitality establishments.
Hotel Operations Manager
High demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages hotel operations, overseeing front office, housekeeping, food, and managing hotel operations.
Food and Beverage Director
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 450,000
Directs food and beverage operations, overseeing production, service, quality, and managing F&B.
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 Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 90,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches hospitality management 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.
Excel
Software
Excel for hospitality finance, covering budgeting, analysis, reporting, and managing hospitality finances.
SPSS
Software
SPSS for research analysis, covering data, statistics, analysis, and managing hospitality research data.
Event Management Software
Software
Event management software for events, covering planning, registration, management, and managing events.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Hospitality management is just about running hotels.
Hospitality management covers comprehensive strategy, operations, finance, marketing, events, and human resources beyond just running hotels.
This programme is only for hotel workers.
Hospitality management skills are valuable for consultants, educators, event managers, tourism professionals, and entrepreneurs beyond just hotel workers.
Food service management is just about cooking.
Food service management covers comprehensive production, service, quality, menu, operations, and financial management beyond just cooking.
Hospitality finance is just about accounting.
Hospitality finance covers comprehensive accounting, control, budgeting, revenue management, and investment beyond just accounting.
Events management is just about parties.
Events management covers comprehensive planning, operations, marketing, conferences, exhibitions, and logistics beyond just parties.
This programme has limited career prospects.
Hospitality management graduates work in diverse sectors including hotels, resorts, events, tourism, consulting, education, and government.