Postgraduate - CourseMaster of International Sustainable Tourism Management

Sustainability represents an increasingly influential facet of tourism planning, development, governance and management, encompassing a diversity of sectors as the industry continues to expand globally. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is also forecasting that the growth rate for emerging economies will be double the rate of advanced economies in the years leading to 2030 and that a sustainable industry can therefore play a significant role in the achievement of the millennium development goals.

This course draws on best practices within the broad realm of the tourism industry, policy governance and research, to develop a critical understanding of the relationships between tourism and sustainable development with a particular emphasis on emerging economies and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises within them.

Effective planning and policy making for international tourism, and for the management of environmental, socio-cultural and economic consequences, requires well qualified managers with a broad and deep understanding of global business activity, and of the conceptual and applied issues involving tourism and sustainability issues. The course also includes a partially-funded field-school to study the patterns of development within an emerging economy in the Asia-Pacific region.

This course addresses tourism's potential to be compatible with the achievement of a range of objectives, including developing sustainable organisations, urban and rural development/regeneration, natural resource management and wildlife conservation, and diversifying benefits from international and domestic tourism. It facilitates the development of skills and techniques to develop tourism policies and practices in a global setting and to manage tourism development and enterprises in the direction of more sustainable practice.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 9, the Bologna Cycle 2 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 9, the Bologna Cycle 2 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://monash.edu/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that graduates will be able to:

• Articulate an understanding of critical issues and trends in contemporary sustainable tourism practice and apply this understanding to devising practical solutions to problems in the field.
• Apply knowledge of best practice in the planning, marketing and management of sustainable tourism practice in international contexts.
• Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the secondary literature in the field of international sustainable tourism management and advanced level written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrate a capacity for high level analysis and a thorough understanding of research methodology, ethics and practice through the conduct of independent research related to sustainable tourism management.

Students may be eligible for credit to a maximum of 50 per cent of the course requirements for previous graduate-level studies.

Credit or exemptions up to a maximum of 24 points is available for a bachelor degree level qualification in a related discipline, and a further 24 points is available for honours degree level qualification in a related discipline.

Therefore, students who have completed an:

• undergraduate degree and a graduate certificate (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline* must complete 72 points as outlined in Structure 2 under 'Requirements'.
• honours degree with a major in a relevant discipline* must complete 48 points as outlined in Structure 3 under 'Requirements'.

* Relevant disciplines include humanities, social sciences, business or marketing.

48 credit points

International field schools and exchanges

Students are encouraged to undertake part of their studies overseas in order to broaden their understanding of the international market and the role that a sustainable tourism industry can play in development within emerging economies. The course provides the option for students to attend a partially-funded intensive field-school to study the patterns of development within an emerging economy in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Fiji, Vietnam or Cambodia.

This course consists of core and elective units, including capstone units which allow the student to demonstrate their understanding of the course and the skills they have acquired.

Students complete one of the following structures as determined by any credit granted for prior studies:

• Structure 1: 96 points over two years full-time, or part-time equivalent
• Structure 2: 72 points over one and a half years full-time, or part-time equivalent
• Structure 3: 48 points over one year full-time, or part-time equivalent.

Note: Students eligible for credit for prior studies may elect not to receive the credit and complete one of the higher credit-point options if they choose.

All students must complete a minimum of 48 credit points at level 5, and so should take care when choosing between units offered at level 4 and 5 (where this option is offered).

Units are 12 credit points unless otherwise stated.

Structure 1 - 96 credit points

Students must complete:

(a.) in their first year of study, two of the following 6 point preparatory units (12 points):

• ATS2250 Communications and cultures in the global era
• ATS2490 Advanced professional writing or ATS3743 Build your career: Planning and strategies for employability
• ATS2547 Cities and sustainability
• ATS2628 Power and poverty: International development in a globalised world
• ATS2723 Social research methods

(b.) core units (36 points):

• APG5609 Sustainable tourism development and planning
• APG5389 Tourism industry and marketing
• APG5720 Cultural tourism and events management

(c.) the following unit (12 points):

• APG5717 Applied industry research and practice

(d.) one of the following capstone/research options (24 points):

(i.) one capstone unit chosen from the following:

• APG5044 Professional internship
• APG5390 Contemporary tourism development in emerging economies
• APG5856 Research project

plus:

• 12 points of electives from the lest below

(ii.) the following research unit/s:

• APG5848 Research thesis (24 points) or APG5849 Research thesis A (12 points) and APG5850 Research thesis B (12 points)

(e.) electives from the list below (12 points)

Electives

• APG5054 Research methods for development practice and change
• APG5425 Perspectives on environment and sustainability (6 points
• APG5426 Environmental analysis
• APG5433 Corporate sustainability management
• APG5628 Doctrines of development
• APG5805 Project planning and management in international development
• APG5894 Communications theories and practices
• APG5900 Cultural Economy
• MGF5020 Business ethics in a global environment (6 points)
• any capstone unit/s not completed at (c.) above

Structure 2 - 72 points

Students must complete from the requirements listed in structure 1:

• units in (b.), (c.) and (d.)(i.) or (ii.)

Structure 3 - 48 points

Students must complete from the requirements listed in structure 1:

• units in (b.) and one capstone unit

Master of International Sustainable Tourism Management