Tourism Development Strategies (TDS) Stralsund University of Applied Sciences

Option to gain a Master's degree together with:

Universita degli di Bergamo (Italy)

Language of Instruction:

• Two-semester course: English (100%)
• Three- and four-semester courses: English (90%), German (10%)

The Master's thesis is supposed to be in English.

Our international Master's programme in Tourism Development Strategies (TDS) is a degree course in business studies with a specialisation in tourism.

The name of the programme is directly related to our profile: the components "strategy" and "development" are combined in a unique manner for tourism and management. The title of the degree course reflects the international character of the programme. The programme is held in English.

TDS in a nutshell: international, strategic, individual

Students will acquire and further develop e.g. the following skills:

• Expertise in tourism, business administration and management
• Analysis and interpretation of tourism markets and their environments
• Prediction and utilisation of trends
• Product development and development of new tourism regions
• Sustainable destination development/ destination management
• Ability to think and act strategically 
• Using creativity and innovations as competitive factors 
• Dealing with change and communication skills
• Real-life projects
• Self-learning competence

Our Master's programme is tailor-made for every graduate of business studies, as we offer two-semester, three-semester and four-semester courses. Students on all degree paths finish the programme by completing the Master's thesis and colloquium. Depending on their undergraduate degrees, the thesis and colloquium will be completed in the second, third, or fourth semester.

Career Profile – fit for the national and international job market

Thanks to the programme's focus on strategy and development as well as its general orientation, our graduates can aim to attain positions in the fields of tourism planning, business development, and other fields of strategic planning and management. We enable our graduates to interpret chances, trends and developments and to use these insights to develop operative and strategic tourism solutions. At the same time, our strategic orientation makes it possible to adapt the skills they have gained for other business sectors and extend the pool of potential employers. The areas in which our graduates have found jobs reflect the broad scope of career opportunities in tourism and management:

• Managerial positions in areas related to general business administration
• Managerial positions in the field of destination management
  (destination management organisations, tourism boards and institutions)
• Tourism-specific managerial positions in various tourism companies (product management, marketing, etc.)
• Positions in the field of tourism/consulting
• Positions in academia and research
• Positions in PR and event management 

The positions our graduates have occupied and the companies they work at reflect the wide range of career opportunities you will gain with a TDS Master's degree.

Our winter semester usually starts in mid-September. Exams are held in January and early February.

Our summer semester usually starts in mid-March. Exams are held in July.

Programme duration: In TDS, we offer three different pathways:

• two semesters (one year)
• three semesters (one and a half years)
• four semesters (two years)

Information on current application deadlines can be found here.

Application procedure for international students

Courses are generally held four days a week. Lecturers from foreign countries as well as academic study trips to foreign countries are mandatory features of the courses, reflecting our international orientation. The use of up-to-date teaching methods (e.g. seminars, discussions, role-playing, case studies), lectures given by experts from the business world, and excursions to attractive destinations (e.g. Oman, Iceland, Sweden, Spain) ensure the direct application of new skills into practice. Additionally, contacts with leading companies and institutions provide networking opportunities on an international scale.

Before the start of the Master's thesis we offer the module "Scientific Training" for specific preparation.

Two-semester course:

The first semester covers the programme's core modules. These modules offer an advanced look at the following:

• Business administration
• Values-based management
• Tourism competencies

Courses such as Diversity Management teach students how to deal with different opinions and foreign cultures appropriately. Students also learn about "Innovation and Change" as well as about ethical and social factors. During the first semester, a particular focus is set on the theme of "Sustainability in Tourism" as well as on a real-life project that underpins our strong practice orientation. The first semester is rounded off by modules that strengthen methodological and self-study competencies, taking into account the varied backgrounds of students with regard to various teaching and learning techniques. It also includes an individual media training to develop communication skills as well as rhetorical competence. The international excursion is a particular highlight. The students prepare this excursion based on a specific topic. The destinations for past excursions have included Sweden and Iceland.

The entire second semester (summer semester) is spent preparing and writing the Master's thesis.

Three-semester and four-semester courses:

In the second semester, students can choose modules that cover areas that are usually not provided in the required breadth and depth in six- or seven-semester Bachelor's programmes. The modules strengthen professionalism of our students (Managing Financial Performance) and support the development of scientific self awareness (e.g. Development of Personal Skills). Furthermore, there are also compulsory elective modules on both traditional management topics (e.g. Supply Chain Management, Communication and Media) as well as modules at the interface of business administration and the tourism industry (e.g. Destination Development, Political Economy of Tourism).

Students of the four-semester programme will complete a compulsory internship in the third semester. This helps to develop their professional profile.

Up-to-date teaching and learning methods (e.g. discussions, labs, real-life projects with companies) ensure that participants will be able to apply new skills directly into practice. Furthermore, close ties between the scientific and the corporate world are of crucial importance. Therefore, our lectures are practice-oriented.

• Students and lecturers from different countries
• International field trip

An internship of 21 weeks is mandatory in the four-semester Master's programme. Our online job exchange, internship professor and programme manager support and assist students during the process of finding an internship.

No tuition fees

Full-time students: 123 EUR for the first semester and 103 EUR for all subsequent semesters

Erasmus+ students: 103 EUR per semester

Non-EU: As of 1 January 2023, foreign students and applicants from outside the EU must present a so-called "proof of financing" corresponding to 992 EUR per month (11,904 EUR per year). The actual cost of living in Stralsund amounts to 550-700 EUR per month, depending on the type of lifestyle.

Two-semester course:

• A first academic degree in business studies (240 ECTS)
• A relevant internship that lasted at least 12 weeks or professional experience (internships during undergraduate degree will be credited)
• Secondary school leaving certificate / high school diploma
• Signed undertaking to pay administrative programme costs (1,970 EUR in total for the entire study period) for academic study trips to foreign countries, appointments with leading companies, social and intercultural events

Any money that is not entirely spent will be reimbursed (programme costs).

Three-semester course:

• A first academic degree in business studies (210 ECTS)
• A relevant internship that lasted at least 12 weeks or professional experience (internships during undergraduate degree will be credited)
• Secondary school leaving certificate / high school diploma
• Signed undertaking to pay administrative programme costs (2,170 EUR in total for the entire study period) for academic study trips to foreign countries, appointments with leading companies, social and intercultural events.

Any money that is not entirely spent will be reimbursed (programme costs).

Four-semester course:

• A first academic degree in business studies (180 ECTS)
• Secondary school leaving certificate / high school diploma
• Signed undertaking to pay administrative programme costs (2,170 EUR in total for the entire study period) for academic study trips to foreign countries, appointments with leading companies, social and intercultural events.

Any money that is not entirely spent will be reimbursed (programme costs).

Two-semester course:

• Proof of proficiency in English (level B2)

Three-semester and four-semester courses:

• Proof of proficiency in English (level B2) and
• Proof of proficiency in German (level B2)

English proficiency - we accept the following certificates:

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based) or 79 (Internet-based)
• Cambridge First Certificate
• IELTS (International English Language Testing System): 6.0 points
• or equivalents, e.g. European Language Certificate level B2

Native English speakers, applicants from countries where English is the official language, applicants who spent at least 10 months or longer in an English-speaking country and applicants who graduated from an international grammar/high school/university do not have to submit proof of English language proficiency by one of the above-mentioned certificates.

German language proficiency can be proven by one of the following certificates:

• DSH (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang): DSH1
• TestDaF (Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache): TDN3 (at least three points in each part of the test)
• Goethe-Zertifikat B2
• Other B2-level German certificates will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Information on current application deadlines can be found here.

Application procedure for international students

The International Office can advise you on funding opportunities.

The Master's programme is a full-time programme which requires intensive study.

Due to this workload, working in addition to studying is not recommended. However, some jobs are available, for example, as student assistants.

As a campus university, Stralsund University of Applied Sciences offers one of the most charming accommodation options in Holzhausen, a small village with a Scandinavian look and feel. The accommodations are located on campus – just a few steps from the "Mensa" (cafeteria) and the schools.

Whether in student halls of residence, a shared flat or your first flat on your own, this decision has to be made by you and should be made according to your own desires and available funds. Stralsund offers exceptionally good conditions and is not affected by overly expensive rental prices and a highly competitive property market like other study locations and cities.

The International Office will help you find accommodation.

Find out more.

Every year, a special fair is organised on campus (SUPA). There, plenty of companies will present job offers as well as offers for internships or topics for the final assignment.

Social events and get-together

The University of Applied Sciences Stralsund (HOST) is a young and innovative campus university. With its modern facilities, an excellent supervision ratio and its top location directly on the Baltic Sea, the University of Applied Sciences Stralsund offers optimal conditions for study, research and living.

The campus university, located directly on the Baltic Sea, offers prospective students a choice of 26 accredited Bachelor's and Master's programmes and a diploma supplementary course in German or English. As a relatively young university, which was only founded in 1991, Stralsund has many modernly equipped laboratories, lecture halls and seminar rooms, which guarantee an optimal learning environment. Moreover, the university offers on-campus living for up to 270 students within sight of the Baltic Sea.

At present, around 2,000 students from 50 countries study at the three schools of Business Studies, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. The range of courses include both classic subjects such as Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Business Administration as well as new and innovative courses such as IT Security and Mobile Systems, Motorsport Engineering and Tourism Development Strategies. Nearly all courses can also be taken in the form of a dual study programme with a highly practical component. The university cooperates with numerous companies for this purpose.

Because studying is important, but it is not everything, there are various leisure activities on campus. For example, the student project teams Baltic Racing, ThaiGer-H2-Racing and MariTeam Racing develop racing cars and motorcycles at the highest level. Recently, the HOST even celebrated three European Championship titles in a row! In addition, the campus has its own gym, weight room and sports field with a wide range of sports activities, such as beach volleyball, sailing and diving.

Although the HOST is a relatively small university in north-eastern Germany, it has a broad international network. Within the framework of the Erasmus+ programme, the university has 72 partner universities throughout Europe. Those who feel that this is not enough can also spend a semester abroad at one of the many partner universities worldwide in locations such as Oman, Australia, Brazil, Argentina and many other countries.

The old Hanseatic town of Stralsund, founded in 1234, is situated in the north-east of the federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and it has been a university town since 1991. Stralsund's 800 historical buildings, which are classified as historical monuments and were built in different historical eras, have witnessed 770 years of the town's history, particularly the Hanseatic period. The city centres of Stralsund and Wismar were recognised by UNESCO as part of the World Heritage Programme in 2002.