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CSU's online master's in tourism management helps you develop your business management acumen, enhance your knowledge of industry practices, and understand the social and environmental impacts of global tourism — so you can live the lifestyle you love while working to create positive experiences for others.
A successful tourism company can boost the local economy and support livelihoods. It just takes the right kind of manager to ensure this happens, and CSU's online tourism degree gives you the insight and training to become just that: a leader in the tourism industry.
By teaching a "whole system" approach to sustainable tourism management — one that recognizes the value of people and resources as much as profit — this program prepares you to step into the industry with a unique, and valuable, perspective.
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Gain the skills to further your career and make a meaningful impact on the world while doing something you love.
To learn about the Human Dimensions of Natural Resources department and Central China Normal University's partnership, check out this article and read about the MTM collaboration and students program experiences.
The Master of Tourism Management requires completion of 32 credits. This is a coursework-only degree and does not require completion of a thesis.
*Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with international universities may identify culturally specific course substitutions and total credits.
Alan's teaching responsibilities include on-campus and distance coursework for the M.T.M. program and courses in the natural resource tourism program. Alan's primary research interests center around theoretical applications of social psychological constructs toward the management of natural resources, including values, attitudes, behavior, and the complexity with which people think about issues. These constructs are also considered in the context of attitude and behavior change. Alan's teaching interests focus on development and administration of coursework in the tourism undergraduate and graduate programs.
Stuart teaches courses in ecotourism, sustainable tourism development, protected area management, and research in human dimensions of natural resources. His research focus includes sustainable tourism, travel and tourism behavior, visitor impact management, and public perceptions of landscape disturbance issues. Present projects involve a National Science Foundation grant to examine land management agency and water provider perception of pine beetle impacts on water quality. As a former resident fellow with the School for Global and Environmental Sustainability, Stuart conducted a preliminary study of the impacts of mountain pine beetle infestation on recreation and tourism, which led to the present NSF project. One of the highlights of Stuart's teaching involves the monitoring of diseased corals and volunteer based conservation projects for an NGO in the Bahamas.
David has developed a unique transnational skill-set in sustainability and tourism management living and working in the U.S., Spain, the Philippines, Peru, and China. Drawing from experience as director, educator, researcher, consultant, collaborator, and confidant, David’s growing university-level leadership underscores his passion for partnerships and diversity in working with real-world organizations and communities to provide tangible, experiential learning opportunities for students. His research and consulting projects for organizations operating from local to international levels have analyzed a variety of sustainability and tourism issues pertaining to National Parks, Chinese tourist behavior, marine protected areas, and rural (e.g., Machu Picchu) community development. Ultimately, David hopes to employ his experience, compassion, and intellect to support institutions of higher learning in empowering diverse communities through exceptional outreach, student recruitment/retention, advising, teaching, and research activities.
Michael’s research focus is on understanding human thought about wildlife and natural resources. The goals of his current research program are: to increase the availability of human dimensions information relevant to wildlife and natural resource management; to provide for increased understanding of the role of human dimensions information in natural resources decision-making; to facilitate the integration of human dimension information into the natural resource decision-making process.
Sam has more than 25 years of industry experience, having owned and operated several tourism-oriented businesses. He has also held senior marketing and management positions in upscale resort and lodging properties, and in institutional fundraising. Sam is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Heritage Tourism in the department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, with a focus on heritage values, learning theory, and their relationship to visitor motivation.
Dr. Bastian Thomsen is a conservation social scientist whose research intersects conservation, social responsibility, and tourism. He was most recently an Assistant Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at Boise State University, and holds a Ph.D. in Management from Central Queensland University. He is nearly finished with a second Ph.D. in Environmental Anthropology from the University of Oxford. Bastian is the Strategy & Innovation Editor for the Journal of Ecotourism and has recently had articles accepted for publication in top tier journals such as the Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Annals of Tourism Research. He taught in the MTM program as an Affiliate Faculty last year and is eager to teach in the program full-time, engage with community stakeholders, and to work collaboratively with board members to tie industry needs to classroom lessons. His wife, Dr. Jennifer Thomsen will start her second doctorate in CSU’s DVM program this fall and they love to travel and get outdoors with their two border collie rescues, Bella and Zoey.
Dr. Sarah Walker’s research uses an environmental justice lens to investigate the role well-being can play in helping us better understand people’s relationships with their environments. Specifically , she studies human well-being in the context of climate resilience and adaptation in vulnerable communities around the world. Her work also investigates the well-being benefits of spending time in nature. Sarah received her PhD from Colorado State University and is currently completing her post-doctoral training at University of Colorado Boulder. She’s an avid hiker and cyclist, and loves being in the classroom with students.
Lina Xiong is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. She is also called "Dr. Bear," because her last name in Chinese means bear. Dr. Bear came to the U.S. in 2006 from mainland China. Lina completed her Ph.D. in Business Administration from Temple University in Philadelphia. Before coming to CSU, Dr. Bear had taught many business courses in the College of Business at Marshall University. Her teaching assignment at CSU includes tourism strategic management, tourism marketing, and advanced lodging in the Master of Tourism Management program. She is also responsible for developing several M.T.M. courses in mandarin. Dr. Bear's research interests include service management, internal branding, employee brand motivation, and customer loyalty. She has published several articles in hospitality management journals. Recently, Dr. Bear's dissertation, titled, "Employee Brand Internalization: The Central Route to a Brand Aligned Workforce," has received a Highly Commended Award of the 2014 Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards in the Hospitality Management category. This is a prestigious international annual award presented by Emerald and the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). She has worked in hospitality and tourism businesses in both China and the U.S.
Now is an excellent time to start pursuing a new career or advancement opportunity in tourism. Jobs in the field are expected to grow in the future, creating an increased demand for talented professionals.
Business course electives in marketing strategy and planning, managing human capital, supply chain management, and others are integrated with tourism-specific coursework. Complete courses in a range of topics that provide a comprehensive skillset for any business owner to succeed in tourism.
Please review the admission requirements for this program before applying.
Note: GRE scores are not required.
*Exceptions to GPA requirement are made on a case-by-case basis.
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