Business and Hospitality (MSc)

Applicants should normally hold a qualification from a university or other internationally recognised academic institution or authority, corresponding to Level 8 of the Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), to a minimum standard of Second Class Honours (or equivalent). It is expected that successful applicants will come from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds with prior exposure to hospitality and/or business.

Applicants who do not hold a Level 8 qualification but who hold professional qualifications and/or have relevant practical experience are eligible to apply for the programme in accordance with the University’s guidelines on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Applicants who hold a Diploma from the Shannon College of Hotel Management awarded prior to 2005 may also apply. All candidates will be interviewed. In certain cases applicants with no hospitality and /or business background may be considered.

 All applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate that they have achieved a C1 level of English on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL).  The following exams are accepted:   

• IELTS (Academic) 6.5 with no less than 6 in any component;
• TOEFL: 88 - iBT, 230 - Computer based, 570 - paper based;
• Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English: Grade C;
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English: Grade C;
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE Academic: a minimum score of 63 (with no section score below 59).

 These exams are valid for two years, and so the test date must be within two years of entry onto the course.  

Graduates with the skills taught in this programme are highly valued by a range of business and hospitality organisations, both nationally and internationally. 

The graduates of this programme should display the following:

• An understanding of the value of the academic approach.
• An ability to solve new challenges and problems.
• An ability to make sense of complex information from a variety of sources.
• Communication skills in a variety of contexts, styles and media.
• Teamwork, collaboration and effective leadership.
• Be creative, enterprising and resourceful.
• Personal responsibility and a commitment to lifelong learning
• Maintain the highest ethical and professional standards, integrity, responsibility and good citizenship
• Appreciate the importance of place, identity and culture in a global context

 The above attributes, along with immersion in the Shannon College of Hotel Management’s prestigious ethos and culture, will empower graduates to develop into a variety of roles within the business world, especially in the vibrant hospitality industry. All areas of the programme have been developed with both consideration for what the industry requires now in dominant areas of hospitality management, but also pre-empting the industry’s needs and offering dynamic modules with innovative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment based on developing the students to achieve their best experience and outcomes from this inimitable programme.

Dr. Phillip J Smyth 

PHILLIP.J.SMYTH@nuigalway.ie