Institute of Geography and Regional Development

July 22, 2021 by Amit Chandra

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

The University of Wrocław in Poland specializes in offering a wide range of courses covering an array of topics. One of the most sought-after degree courses offered by the university is a Master’s in Tourism & Hospitality. The course is essential for every tourism professional or tourism & hospitality enthusiast looking for a 2-year master's degree course. The degree course equips the students with profound knowledge and understanding of the Tourism & Hospitality sector.

Overall, it is safe to say that this program opens a vast world of tourism, hospitality, geography, geomorphology, regional development, tourism management and sustainable tourism development. Along with the broad idea of the environment, students are prepared to recognise the potential of a region and develop a tourist product accordingly.

At the same time, understanding of the tourism and hospitality market, contemporary trends in both the demand and supply make for additional highlights of the 2-year master degree course.

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

The practical skills can be learned during field trips that take place in the Lower Silesian region and abroad. During the course, emphasis is also given to the analytical competencies developed while writing reports, essays and thoroughly-researched presentations on niche tourism topics.

Studying in a city as exciting as Wrocław has its perks. It enables the students to participate and attend numerous intercultural and multicultural events concerning art, music, history, cuisine, drama, and literature.

Let’s see how the Master’s in Tourism & Hospitality course at the University of Wrocław looks like!

1. Academic year at the University of Wrocław - Overview

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The beginning of October marks the advent of the fresh academic year at the University of Wrocław. The new session begins with an induction program in the form of an informal meeting between newly enrolled students and the department coordinator. The study group for Tourism & Hospitality course mostly comprise about 20 people from different parts of the world.

This also includes students who choose the University of Wrocław for Erasmus studies for a semester or two (eventually). The meetup allows every student the unique opportunity to open up to each other, make new friends from different cultures and nationalities, and enjoy a bond that allows them to explore the best of different worlds throughout their studies.

Erasmus students are mostly those from other European universities studying the same program having similar courses. Erasmus students study with full-time students for a semester or two and join selected courses.

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Both the year of studies is divided into two semesters each, ending with a session break. The Winter semesters include 30 working weeks, while the summer semesters last 24 weeks. Summer session is shorter due to field trips where students travel to different corners of Poland and Europe with a University professor. The sessions also include official holidays and days off (Rector’s days).

Photo courtesy: Whistling Hound

Some of the key focuses of Tourism & Hospitality studies are:

• Learnings about the natural and cultural environment
• Using the practical knowledge to develop tourism in a sustainable way
• Interdisciplinary natural, economic and social knowledge related to the management of tourism in the region and the enterprise
• Geographical resources for tourism development around the world
• Management, planning, marketing, contemporary trends in tourism

2.  Ways of the grades

The vast curriculum and range of courses covered make Tourism & Hospitality studies make for one of the most interesting courses in the world today. At the University of Wrocław, the studies are divided into lectures, exercises and field trips; the first one ends with tests/exams in written form, the second ends with assignments or presentations, and the third one ends with some practical duties depending upon the nature of destination or place.

3. Everyday life

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Right at the beginning of studies, every student is given a schedule for the semester. The presence of students is normally obligatory. Every university student can check the schedule posted on the department website.

In the second year, students mostly get one or two free days during the week. This free time can be well utilised working on personal growth and enhancement like learning some new language or music or other forms of art. While for some students, it makes a perfect opportunity to take up part-time jobs to sustain themselves and save some money for future travels.

The cost of living in Wrocław city is cheaper than most of the cities in Europe or even Poland. This makes it quite easy for students who plan to sustain their life on part-time earnings.

4. Master Thesis - The most important thing about the degree

To obtain the Master degree, every student must write the Master Thesis, and defend it in front of the panel of judges who happen to be the senior professors from the same faculty of studies. The topic of the thesis must be related to the field of education.

Every student is free to propose the topic they are interested in. Subsequently, the thesis writing involves reading and collecting multiple references from various academic literature concerning a topic similar to the chosen topic. Thereafter, the student must also make some of his research collecting real-time data and figures (if applicable).

The Thesis is finally evaluated by both the Supervisor and Reviewer, and the average grade thus obtained is the overall grade for the Thesis. Also, the final grade for studies is based on three elements: 1) Grade obtained for Thesis, 2) The average grade from all the courses, and 3) The Master Exam result.

Additional information

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• Duties and rights of students - Every student at the University of Wrocław must be aware of their legal rights while studying in Poland. At the same time, it is also recommended to learn the rules and regulations of the university.
•  Access to study materials - The University library is the ultimate place for any student who wants to find relevant literature during studies or for report or thesis writing.

Library on Google Maps

• Dormitories and student life - University Website has a dedicated section for foreigners covering every aspect of living in Wrocław. It is highly recommended for everyone moving to Poland for higher studies or work.
• Lower Silesian Region Regional Authority Office - The most important place for every foreigner in Wrocław, Dolnośląski Urząd Wojewódzki is the place where everyone must apply for their Karta Pobytu (resident card)
  Address: plac Powstańców Warszawy 1, 50-153 Wrocław
• Part-time work opportunities - Every student of the University of Wrocław is allowed to work part-time during studies to sustain their life in the city. It’s a great way to make a living and gain some professional experience in the city. Wrocław’s has plenty of restaurants, cafes, and bars that employ students for a certain number of hours in a day.
• Erasmus - The Erasmus study program at the University of Wrocław allows every student a chance to go abroad to one of the cooperating Universities or for an Erasmus traineeship/apprenticeship in a hotel or a tour operating company to gain a professional experience in the same industry.

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