About the department of Tourism and Leisure Management

The tourism, culture, and leisure industry is one of the most rapidly developing industries in Israel and the world. The trends in the field indicate a growing demand for managers with relevant academic training. The Department of Tourism and Leisure Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev offers an up-to-date and diverse study program in which you will get tools, knowledge, and skills on how to manage all these things that, in one word, can be called - fun.

According to the Shanghai Index, the Department of Tourism and Leisure Management is ranked among the best departments in the world and the only one in Israel that offers a bachelor's degree (B.A.) and a master's degree (M.A.) in these fields. The goal is to train the generation of future managers in the service industries that include, among others, tourism, hotels, conferences, aviation, and restaurants. The vocation is imparting and creating current knowledge and encouraging analytical business thinking, allowing the program graduates to integrate, responsibly manage, and lead organizations in the tourism and leisure industries.

B.A. – Hotel and Tourism Management

The three-year program in Tourism and Leisure Management comprises three integrated components:

Business Administration – core courses such as Marketing, Finance, Accounting, and Operations Management.
Hospitality Management – including Food and Beverage Management, Accounting, and Finance for the Hospitality Industry.
Tourism Management – including Tourism Venture Development, Sociology of Tourism, Tourism and Regional Planning, and Airline Management.

In addition to lectures and seminars, students learn from case studies, laboratories, and individual or group projects directly linked to the industry.

M.A. - Tourism and Hotel Management

The program is designed for managers or graduate students interested in expanding their academic knowledge and managerial skills in tourism, hospitality, and restaurants, which are of prime importance to the Israeli economy.

The M.A. program offers a new curriculum of courses taught by experts from academia and leading executives in tourism and hospitality.

Students can choose between two tracks: a research track with a thesis project and a second track for candidates with an applied orientation.

Practical Training

B.A. students are required to complete a minimum of 1000 hours of supervised practical work at leading hotel and tourism organizations in Israel and abroad. These hours may accumulate during the summer or throughout the school year. Faculty members closely supervise practical training with regular site visits to monitor student-employer involvement. A suitable training program is also essential in generating employment for graduates. Thanks to the cooperation of Mr. Sol Freedman, Mr. Bernard Sillins, Ms. Jessica Sillins, Mr. Shimmie Horn, Mr. Stuart Podolsky, Mr. Jay Podolsky, Mr. Jay Wartski, and several other New York and North Carolina hotel owners, some students are eligible to participate in a particular three-month internship program at hotels in Manhattan New York and Charlotte, NC.

Graduates of the Department enjoy a very high placement rate within all sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry, including hotel sales, marketing, food and beverage, front office, restaurants, event planning, and consulting. Many students continue their studies in graduate programs in Israel and abroad.

The Department is closely tied with the industry's leading experts and Israel's Ministry of Tourism.

Specializations

Both undergraduate and graduate students may choose to concentrate on Tourism Management or Hospitality Management by selecting courses and practical training components to suit their preference.

Research

Faculty members are dedicated to the highest quality research, and their articles are published in leading international journals. In addition to departmental collaboration, joint research with other universities is encouraged. Graduate students in the School, both at master's and Ph.D. levels, pursue research activities in the Department.

The Department's faculty members serve as referees and guest editors and sit on the editorial boards of several journals. The Israel Ministry of Tourism has awarded considerable research grants to promote and encourage the Department's innovative work.