Master Sustainable Outdoor Hospitality Management

2-year professional master’s programme | English-taught

Master
2 years
Full time
English

Europe’s first master's degree in camping resort management

Europe’s first master's degree in hospitality and camping resort management. A multiple degree professional master’s programme in which you combine theory and practice, offered at universities in the Netherlands, Croatia and Spain.

The demand for outdoor hospitality accommodation is growing fast in Europe, which has prompted a need for highly qualified professionals who are able to manage the business well in cooperation with local authorities. That is why BUas, the University of Girona in Spain and the University of Rijeka in Croatia - have developed this new multiple degree master's programme with a focus on strategic management of large-scale camping resorts.

Questions? 

Do you have any questions regarding this programme? Please send them to master-sohm@buas.nl.

Glamping

Why choose this master's programme?

  • Unique programme which specialises in sustainable large scale outdoor hospitality, such as camping resorts.  
  • Combining theory and practice where you will be studying 6 months each in the Netherlands, Croatia and Spain, and 6 months in the country of your choice 
  • Learning in an international classroom with different nationalities 

BUas Quiz

Seeking a master’s programme in tourism, leisure, or imagineering? Take this short quiz to discover the best match for you.


Take the quiz

Study overview

Study programme

Study at three locations in Europe 

In the first semester of this English-taught Master Sustainable Outdoor Hospitality Management you will attend lectures at Breda University of Applied Sciences (in close cooperation with the Master of Tourism Destination Management).

In semester 2 you will also study at the University of Rijeka in Croatia. Furthermore, you will work on camping resorts in Croatia on sustainable business challenges in the fields of park design, stakeholder engagement, human resource management, concept design or strategic management. 

In semester 3 you will move to the University of Girona (Spain) and deepen your academic and business management skills. In the last semester you will combine working in a traineeship and a thesis in a key outdoor hospitality region in Europe of your choice. If you already have work experience, you can also choose to shorten the programme to 20 months by doing your traineeship in the first year between June and the end of September, leaving you with only your thesis to complete after your stay in Girona.

Course details

The programme starts with a semester at Breda University of Applied Sciences, which we refer to as Context of Tourism and Outdoor Hospitality. The first semester consists of different study modules that are brought through classroom lectures, workshops, field trips and guest lectures. You will attend weekly classes, compulsory, on these study modules.

The second semester starts in February and is called Business Operations and Management. You will travel to the seaside resort of Opatija, Croatia. This area is one of the most developed outdoor hospitality concepts in Europe. During this semester you will receive education at the campus of partner University of Rijeka. The study units apply to management of outdoor hospitality concepts and businesses, and will include field trips, assignments and an integrated project for a camping resort commissioner.

The third semester starts in September for which you will move to Girona, Spain for. The key focus of that semester is critical analysis, strategic thinking and planning. You will deepen critical thinking about sustainable camping strategies.

The last semester, Applied Research and Management Solutions, focuses on a real professional transformation of the master’s candidate. The first three months of this process involves writing a thesis on a relevant and innovative topic related to sustainability issues in outdoor hospitality management. After thesis submission you will travel to one of the countries with partnering industry actors in Europe and work as a trainee in a company during four months. In combination with your traineeship (75%), you will work in a team of junior researchers (25% of time) on a group destination assignment.

An overview of all courses can be found below. Please send an email to master-sohm@buas.nl if you would like to receive the full description of all courses.

Courses semester 1 at Breda University of Applied Sciences

  • Destination Stakeholders Management (6 ECTS)
  • Contemporary Marketing, Context and Trends (6 ECTS)
  • Destination Development, Finance & Organisation (6 ECTS)
  • Team Performance & Creative Leadership (2 ECTS)
  • Cross Cultural Studies (4 ECTS)
  • Qualitative Research Process Methods (6 ECTS)

Courses semester 2 at University of Rijeka

  • Financial Reporting (3 ECTS)
  • Sustainable Management in Outdoor Hospitality (9 ECTS)
  • Customer Relationship and Sales Management (6 ECTS)
  • Management and Operations (9 ECTS)
  • Outdoor Hospitality Innovation (3 ECTS)

Courses semester 3 at University of Girona

  • Destination Economic Management (3 ECTS)
  • Sustainable Development of Tourism (3 ECTS)
  • Quantitative Research Methods (3 ECTS)
  • Tourism Science and Research (3 ECTS)
  • Management Skills (3 ECTS)
  • Revenue and Yield Management (3 ECTS)
  • Experience Design (3 ECTS)
  • Strategic Management (3 ECTS)
  • Food and Beverage Management (3 ECTS)
  • Financial Management of Tourism Products (3 ECTS)

Courses semester 4

  • Master Thesis (12 ECTS)
  • Transformation Project: Traineeship (18 ECTS)

Studyload

The Master Sustainable Outdoor Hospitality Management is a two-year, full-time programme. The total study load is 120 ECTS credits. To give you an idea: 1 ECTS credit = approximately 28 to 30 hours of study.

 

FAQs

Below you will find frequently asked questions about the content of the programme and the workfield, among other things. If your question is not listed, ask your question in the chat.

Where can I stay during this master's programme?

In all three destinations, students can find different types of accommodation such as private rooms or apartments, dormitories and student hostels. It is your own responsibility to find accommodation, but all universities offer support. In Croatia, there are vacation rentals available where two students can live for €300 per person per month.

Please contact:

For BUas: master-sohm@buas.nl or accommodation@buas.nl
For University of Rijeka: campmaster@fthm.hr 
For Girona: allotjament@udg.edu

Can I choose any campsite in Europe for the practical component?

A list of campsites and companies in Europe that are willing to accept students for placements will be published in the second semester and students can choose from these campsites. If the students find a suitable campsite by themselves, the Consortium Committee will make a decision for such a placement.  

 

Study at three locations in Europe

“Live the life on campsites and discover its reality”

‘Campsites are like small villages and at the same time the camping sector is a complicated phenomenon. When you’re in the lead at a camp resort, you must be well-prepared, and you must be able to work with a diversified team. You absolutely must be versatile. In this master’s degree, attending classes in university is important, but work placements at campsites equally are. So, theoretical knowledge is combined with practical knowledge. In this way, a very transversal master's degree is offered, which provides students with the opportunity of going through many departments of campsites. In other words, it is very relevant to live the life on campsites and discover its reality.’

Miquel Gotanegra Portell

President of Catalan Campsites Federation, President of the Girona Campsites Association and CEO of Terraza Grup

It gives me real satisfaction to help students

“It gives me real satisfaction to help students with their field research and traineeship, precisely because these projects allow them to operate out of their comfort zone, in multiple cultures, where they have to keep their eyes wide open to underst and the context. I take students along into that complex reality and how to develop a tourism business in a sustainable manner. We simply have to treat the earth and the people we meet with respect if we don’t want to kill tourism’s appeal and potential!” 

Jos van der Sterren

Teacher & researcher at BUas

Admission

When am I admissible?

Students are eligible if they hold a bachelor’s degree (BA, BSc, BBA, B Com), for example in the fields of tourism, travel, hotel management, international business, management, economics, law, e-commerce, urban development, geography, social sciences or finance. Please check out the additional admission requirements.

 

What does this study cost?

The costs of this study programme are made up of amounts that you pay to the various universities of applied sciences involved.
Ten students have a chance to win a grant of € 5,000 from the Campsite Industry Scholarship programme.

In addition to the tuition fee, you will need to take into account additional costs for the purchase of study materials such as textbooks.

Read all about the study costs.

 

How can I register?

If you meet the admission requirements, you are invited to apply for this programme. Please check out the application procedure.

Apply now

Your career

Graduates of the Master Sustainable Outdoor Hospitality Management entitled to three degrees: 

  • Master of Arts (BUas)
  • Master of Science (UdG)
  • Professional Specialist (UNIRI)
Career examples
  • Marketing Manager at Landal GreenParks,
  • Human Resource Manager at Valamar Riviera,
  • Concept designer at OYO Vacation Homes,
  • Resort Landscape Designer at Pierres et Vacances,
  • Parkmanagers of an international Holiday park.