Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management

Programme OverviewExpand / Collapse

IFTM offers the Bachelor of Science degree in Tourism Event Management in both English and Chinese as the medium of instruction. In light of the economic development of the Macao SAR, IFTM launched the Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management degree programme in 2005, with an intake of around 40 students per year. Modelled after our popular Tourism Business Management and Hotel Management degree programmes, the Tourism Event Management degree aims to nurture new generations of skilled workforce for the growing events industry.

First of its kind in Macao, the degree programme has been very popular among high-school graduates looking for promising career prospects in the events sector. The overwhelming demand resulted in IFTM doubling student intake in 2009. Catering to working professionals, IFTM launched an evening version of the Tourism Event Management degree programme delivered in Chinese in 2010. To date, IFTM has a student intake capacity of 120 for this degree programme although IFTM maintains a small class size of around 35 students to enrich the students' learning experience.

As one of the most popular programmes in IFTM, the BSc in Tourism Event Management degree has a small class size of 35 students, and currently takes in two classes in the daytime English programme and one class in the evening Chinese programme. The Tourism Event Management degree programme is known for its practical components which students are required to organise and host public live events.

Since the inception of the degree programme, students had partnered with numerous local and international charities organisations to raise funds and awareness of the charities' work. A number of previous events were targeted at primary school children where students incorporated pro-environment concepts like recycling art and responsible eating in fun and engaging activities. In 2011, students had even attempted and successfully created a World Guinness Record. The events organised by the students were often featured in local newspapers and television programmes, a definite recognition of students' contribution to a better society.

Students are also required to complete a number of academic courses led by a team of scholars active in research, whose classes are informed by latest cutting-edge research in events in Macao. The faculty team members regularly attend international conferences, publish journal articles and book chapters and frequently engaged in consultancy research projects.

All students are also required to undertake a six-month internship placement at a local or overseas establishment. Students are also encouraged to complete a semester in one of our exchange partners around the world. The daytime English and evening Chinese programmes are mostly similar with a few key differences. The most notable of which is the graduating thesis/project requirement which students of the daytime English degree programme have to complete. 

Tourism Event Management graduates enjoy a very colourful future: among the preferred by the industry and many accepted into postgraduate programmes locally and overseas. Our graduates are among the preferred ones in the local tourism, events and hospitality industry with many of whom today in senior managerial positions. Many graduates were admitted and successfully completed postgraduate programmes locally and overseas.

Indeed, the Bachelor of Science in Tourism Event Management degree programmes are accredited by UNWTO. TedQual Certification System, ensuring that the programme is of international standards and recognised globally. IFTM has also won many awards and recognised by other accrediting bodies; to see a list of our recognitions, click here.

Programme Structure and CurriculumExpand / Collapse

The curriculum requires students to undertake a variety of courses over four years of studies. The following is an overview of the study plan for the Bachelor of Science degree in Tourism Event Management:

Year 1 students are required to study general management subjects such as management and accountancy, as well as key skill courses such as numeracy and language. In addition, students are required to undertake a series of practicum courses, such as front desk, housekeeping, restaurant, pastry and others.

Year 2 students begin to undertake degree-specific courses such as Introduction to Events Industry and Event Planning and Coordination. Students are also to organise public events with close supervision from experienced course lecturers.

Year 3 students undertake more advanced subjects such as Facilities and Properties Management, Advanced Marketing and Research Methods. In addition, students are required to independently conceptualise, plan, organise and evaluate an event targeted at the public with advice from course lecturers. Students also complete a 6-month internship placement during their third year of study; click here for more info.

Year 4 students are required to undertake advanced and specialised subjects in event management, such as Festivals and Events, Event Risk Management and Public Relations, in addition to management courses such as Human Resources Management, Service Quality Management, Strategic Management and Consumer Behaviour. The most challenging and interesting of all is the Thesis/Project where students are required to undertake an independent and extended piece of research; for more info, click here.

In Year 1 to Year 3, students are required to learn a language, either Mandarin or Portuguese. There are also a variety of extra-curricular activities students are encouraged to join, as well as the many activities organised by the Students Union and its sub-clubs to enrich their campus life.

In addition, students have ample opportunities for international outreach, such as joining international exchange programmes with partner institutions and joining the many short-term exchange programmes abroad.

Signature CoursesExpand / Collapse

Students of this programme are able to undertake a range of signature courses:

MICE413 Festivals and Events

Festivals and events have different levels of operating costs, and they can be either not-for-profit or profit making. Their purpose varies, some have an entertainment and educational remit and can be used to bring different communities together, while others are used for business promotion. This course offers an understanding of significant festival management and event sponsorship issues. The nature and organisation of festivals is examined, with emphasis on the various impacts of festivals.

HMGT217 Supervised Work Experience

Supervised Work Experience is a "Practical Management" work assignment subject. The course allows all students to put their theory into practice and experience "Real Life" management situations. It will develop and expand their management skills, supervision, planning, preparation, communication, confidence, guest contact skills, motivation, knowledge, creative skills, directional skills and their ability to make sound effective decisions.

MICE212 Event Planning and Coordination

This course will introduce the knowledge and techniques required for event planning, coordination and operations. Staring from event idea creation, students will go through the whole planning process, including venue selection, event promotion, logistics, budgeting and HR planning. At the end of the course, the students should be able to apply these knowledge in the real-world situation through creating an event proposal. Present trends and innovations in the event industry will also be discussed. The students will investigate new approaches, materials and equipment being utilised to operate events ranging from a conference to a special event.

MICE213 Introduction to Events Industry

The meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) and events sector of the tourism industry has experienced tremendous growth globally, with many destinations already investing in major MICE facilities. This course will give an overall understanding of the key elements of the MICE industry, such as different types of events, key players in the industry. Students will also learn about the growth and trend of major MICE destination throughout the world.

MICE311 Event Management: Hosting an Event

The course aims to provide students with the knowledge, skills and tools for successfully conceptualising, researching, planning, organising, implementing and evaluating an event at IFTM. Under the direction of a faculty supervisor, the class will be given the opportunity to plan, promote, operate and evaluate a live event the students will draw upon the skills and knowledge they have developed during the second year to run a successful event at IFTM. An important component of this course is on project management orientation, whereby students will be taught project management skills and tools to effectively plan, budget, schedule, allocate resources, form project teams, understand team dynamics and monitor the progress of the project.

MGMT417 Public Relations

This course sets out to understand the theory and practice of modern day public relations, and its role in building mutually beneficial relationships with event stakeholders and consumers. From learning the basic tools and concepts of PR, these will be applied within practical scenarios and uses within event management. Particularly in the world of hosting and planning of events, dynamic and creative PR action and solutions are required to communicate and maintain support with all the event stakeholders.

MICE411 Event Risk Management

Risk management is the process of making and carrying out decisions that minimise the adverse effects of the potential losses of an event. This course will enable students to clearly understand the strategies of risk management and logistical elements to safeguard people, property, reputation and assets and to host an event safely and securely. This course provides a risk management perspective on planning and documentation, the value of this information can be integrated into hosting a real event.

Internship ProgrammesExpand / Collapse

The Internship Programme aims to provide our students the opportunity to consolidate their theoretical foundation through practical experience. A major component of this experience is the formation of a professional attitude. The students are expected to develop their personality and capacity to adapt to, and handle, challenging situations in the real business world. Through the internship programme, the students should be able to acquire transferable skills such as communications skills, interpersonal skills, technical skills, teamwork skills, management skills and problem-solving skills. Last but not least, the students can explore their interest in future career development. Please click to see the list of local or global internship providers (academic year 2019/2020).

The Internship Programme is required for all bachelor degree students. Each English degree programme student is expected to complete six consecutive months of internship during which he/she must work for a minimum of 800 hours. While Chinese degree programme student can choose to undertake 800 working hours of internship over a maximum period of two years counting from the commencement of his/her internship or six consecutive months and complete a minimum total of 800 working hours. Each student is expected to be supervised by a mentor throughout the internship. The student will need to fill in a monthly report to report his/her progress during the internship whereas the mentor will need to give an appraisal to the student on a monthly basis.

For more information on the Internship Programme, please contact the Practicum and Internship Team at intern@iftm.edu.mo or (853) 8598-3050 / 8598-1256 / 8598-1520.

Semester Incoming and Outgoing Exchange ProgrammeExpand / Collapse

To enrich the cultural experience of our students, IFTM started receiving exchange students in academic year 1996/97. Since then IFTM has received almost 800 students! The photos below highlight their study at IFTM and life in Macao. Please click here to know more about our incoming exchange programme.

IFTM students realise that there is nothing better than emerging themselves in a foreign setting to personally experience cultural challenges. Since the first pioneers set their footsteps overseas in academic year 2000/01, our students have pursued valuable overseas study experiences in Australia, Austria, Canada, Chinese Taiwan, Denmark, Japan, Finland, France, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, South Korea, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and the United States of America and more. Please click here to know more about our outgoing exchange programme.