International Master's Programme in Tourism Studies
Huddinge, Sweden
Master degree
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Aug 2026
TUITION FEES
SEK 110,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
* tuition fees do not include living expenses, such as accommodation, food, course literature, etc.
Key Summary
About: The International Master's programme in Tourism Studies at Södertörn University in Stockholm focuses on city tourism with a multidisciplinary approach. It links to current research and requires independent work, analyzing tourism's development and effects on nature, economy, labour market, cultural heritage, community services and the business sector, and exploring sustainable and urban tourism, destination management and visitor experience.
Career Outcomes: After graduation you'll find career opportunities in destination development, event and meetings management, visitor attraction and experience roles, public-sector tourism planning, tourism business development, risk and safety management, sustainable tourism coordination, policy advice, research and academia and related sectors.
Tourism has grown continuously after World War Two, except during crises such as global financial crises, wars, pandemics and terror. People’s leisure time and business travel have increased and their demands have become increasingly sophisticated, with tourism now being one of the world’s most expansive industries. Tourism and related businesses employ increasing numbers of people, so work-oriented academic knowledge is increasingly in demand on the labour market – both for new employees and those already in work. However, more effort is needed to encourage sustainable tourism and the industry needs more skilled employees to work with this issue at all levels.
This Master’s degree takes city tourism as its starting point and has a multidisciplinary approach. It differs from undergraduate studies due to its links to current research, the independent work you are expected to perform and its in-depth analysis of tourism. Are you interested in critical examination of the future role, influence and effects of tourism? This programme analyses and explores the development of tourism and its effects on nature, the economy, the labour market, cultural heritage, services to the community and the business community, providing a good basis for either employment or further research.
The Master's programme has a multidisciplinary and international approach. Every student chooses a general specialisation from one of four research areas: destination development, professional meetings, experience tourism, or risk.
The first semester covers city tourism, providing an understanding of the role and importance of the tourism phenomenon in contemporary society. You will study how operative management can be conducted effectively in a tourism company, as well as how information can be used in the travel process and how new products and organisational models can be developed. After this, the focus is the growth of events and their impact on our rapidly changing societies. Finally, you will explore how tourist destinations can be planned and controlled using quality assurance systems.
The second semester focuses on the production of a Master’s dissertation, starting with a literature study on a specific research question and an exploration of research methodology, before moving to writing the dissertation itself.
Course design
You will be encouraged to work independently and perform in-depth analyses of personal and business travel, as well as of recreation activities in the local community. You will search for, analyse and critically examine quantitative and qualitative sources within tourism, as well as choosing and using relevant research methods. Teaching is conducted through lectures, seminars and supervision, and you will work both individually and on group projects. For your dissertation, you will design, present and defend a comprehensive scholarly work about one of the current issues in tourism research, as well as critically analyse another student’s dissertation.
Södertörn University Tuition Fee Waiver
The tuition fee waiver scholarship is aimed at students from countries outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland. The Swedish government distributes funding to higher education institutions, which in turn award scholarships to individual students. The tuition fee waiver is intended for Master level program studies at Södertörn University.
After you have completed the Master’s programme, potential career paths include: destination development in urban and rural environments; planning, selling and conducting professional meetings in the meetings industry; the public’s experience of visitor attractions in city centres; and risk and safety aspects of the tourism industry. There are many career opportunities in the expanding tourism industry if you are well-qualified in tourism, as well as in closely linked industries, depending on your interests and focus.
The programme also provides a good basis for future research in the field of tourism, thanks to the in-depth knowledge it provides about vital contemporary issues in tourism.