Tourism Management M.T.M.

In NRRT 567, you will explore the dynamics that influence tourism entrepreneurship, including how to think like an entrepreneur, the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and how to plan for adapting to issues; learn financial and organizational components of starting a tourism enterprise, and how to identify and acquire start-up funding; and apply entrepreneurial thinking, strategies, theories, and technical skills to address complex socio-environmental issues and conservation through experiential learning.

NRRT 600 is designed to provide students with an introduction to key foundational tourism concepts, and how they have informed, and can be applied to, tourism operations around the world. As the tourist is at the center of tourism, this course begins by defining and characterizing tourists, examining their varying motivations, and understanding the nature of tourist experience. Focus is then shifted to the tourism industry and tourism systems, as well as tourism destination development over time. This is followed be an examination of key economic, sociocultural, and technological issues and considerations associated with tourism development. This will provide students with a holistic understanding of the tourist, the tourism industry and system, and how it is affected by the broader macroenvironment, from which students can further build their tourism knowledge.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Define and characterize tourists and the tourism industry
• Compare and contrast different social theories that apply to tourists, and tourism development
• Evaluate different tourism management strategies and considerations
• Identify and discuss the different stages and management considerations of the tourist experience
• Identify and discuss the different stages and management considerations for tourism destination development
• Critically examine the various economic, sociocultural, and technological aspects of tourism

NRRT 601 provides an overview of the statistical techniques used by researchers to inform and support tourism decision-making. Emphasis is placed on understanding data manipulation techniques and what statistics are appropriate for addressing applied decision–making problems.

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify the appropriate uses of the major statistical techniques utilized by researchers to inform and support tourism decision-making.
• Differentiate what statistical techniques are appropriate for analyzing selected types of tourism research questions.
• Conduct data analysis using IBM SPSS (i.e., Statistical Package for the Social Sciences).
• Interpret SPSS computer printouts and construct data tables/figures for communicating with technical and non-technical audiences

Provides the landscape view that situates how tourism, conservation, and natural resource management come together. Examine the history of public lands and protected areas around the world. Explore the evolution of the relationship between tourism and conservation, and the way in which different international agreements on biodiversity and climate change affect tourism and conservation.

NRRT 610 The United States has led the world in establishing the need to protect public lands for public use. Recreation is one of the key uses established for these public lands in the U.S. and is fast becoming an economic development tool not only in the U.S., but also in developing countries around the world.

The first section of this course will look at the philosophy and history of the conservation movement in the U.S. and the development of natural resource tourism here, as well as the broader Tourism System. We will also look at covenants and institutions world-wide in the form of the UN Convention on Climate Change and Bio Diversity that govern international development policies and the conservation of scarce global resources. In addition, we will examine the role of tourism as a development tool internationally and as an economic driver in the U.S. and a variety of other national settings. In the second section of the course we will examine the measurement of natural resource recreation supply, demand and economic impact; as well as the role of these measures in the comprehensive planning process for recreation resource management at the federal, state and local levels. Finally, we will examine the role of compliance in managing natural resources for recreational use, including the implications of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) on recreation resource development.

Natural resources are at the heart of the tourism experience in the United States and world-wide. The federal government in the United States controls more than 650 million acres of public land, more than 30% of the nation’s total land area. This immense natural resource is governed by Federal land management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Parks Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Army Corp of Engineers, Department of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs (Native American Reserves), and the Department of Defense (Military Reserves). Add this to the almost 200 million acres of public land held by states and all county and local governments and public lands in the United States tops one billion acres, or about 35% of the country’s total land mass (National Wilderness Institute 1995).

Public lands have many uses, including forest resources, rangeland, watersheds, highways, power and water easements, waterways, military reservations, Native American reservations and mineral leases. Approximately 80% of non-reserve public lands are primarily used for recreation, including 20% that are managed both as recreation resources and as important animal habitat and ecologies or designated as Wilderness (Nelson 2012).

The Outdoor Industry Association Outdoor Recreation Economy Report (2018) estimates that in 2017 outdoor recreation or natural resource tourism generated more than $887 billion in consumer spending, providing about 7.4 million direct jobs in the United States. “Outdoor recreation is an economic powerhouse in the United States…” (OIA). Natural resource tourism and outdoor recreation provide a huge economic engine in the U.S. and globally.

Management of these resources for the benefit of all users is a priority for land management Agencies and other organizations that manage lands for recreation use. These organizations include corporations such as Vail, Aspen, IntraWest, Squaw Valley and other major ski resorts; as well as smaller resorts, rafting companies, backcountry, hunting and fishing and other guide services and many other organizations that depend on natural resources to provide the place for their customers to play.

This broad scope of recreational opportunity also brings challenges unique to natural resource tourism managers. Whether working to secure base funds to operate state or local parks and open space; dealing with environmental regulations when expanding a ski resort; applying for permits for backcountry, fishing, or river guides; or working with national governments and local communities to develop unique ecotourism opportunities in Malaysia, natural resource tourism management is a complex undertaking governed by local, regional, national and international tourism systems.

The NRRT 615 course is designed to provide an understanding of the concept of sustainable tourism development. Theory, practice, history, terminology and issues in sustainable tourism planning and management are examined in the context of sustainable livelihoods and conservation. A comprehensive survey of sustainable tourism components – including poverty alleviation through tourism, natural resources as attractions and destinations, social and resource responsibility, establishing policies, and principles for sustainability – will be covered from a systems thinking perspective.

Student assessment will take the form of discussion posts and responses, personal journal, two mini-papers, and a single course case study project requiring application to real world examples of materials presented in the course.

Course modules will be available through Canvas with each module being posted prior to the start of that module’s scheduled week. This “gating” is intended to keep the cohort together in terms of material presented so that discussion assignments can be completed with the maximum amount of student interaction.

Course Objectives:

By taking the NRRT 671 course, students will be able to:

• Synthesize the definitions, terminology and concepts of sustainable tourism and how it relates to tourism, livelihoods, and community development via course journals, mini-papers and online discussions.
• Understand the history and development of sustainable tourism development.
• Identify impacts associated with tourism development and apply intervention strategies to mediate the impacts identified.
• Learn, apply and discuss ethics (codes of conduct, compliance and eco-labeling) in sustainable tourism for policy development.

NRRT 620 will focus on enhancing student understanding of concepts in management applied to a travel and tourism organization. The course begins with an introduction to management, the management process and a discussion of the personal characteristics that make an effective manager. Following this, course topics include the managing ethics, diversity, and globalization; planning, decision-making, and competitive advantage; designing organizational structure and managing for change; leading individuals and groups, and controlling activities and processes such as communication and information technology and operations. A predominant characteristic of this class (and the MTM program as a whole) is that discussions, exercises, and case studies will require students to think about the application of management principles and concepts to the management of travel and tourism organizations.

Course Objectives:

By taking this course, students will be able to:

• Discuss what management is within the context of travel and tourism industry sectors.
• Describe how personality traits and psychological characteristics influence a manager’s behavior and impact the organizational culture of a travel and tourism organization.
• Explain what it means to effectively manage diversity in a travel and tourism setting.
• Describe the steps of the planning process and explain the relationship between planning and strategy.
• Describe the types of organizational structures that are appropriate in a tourism setting.
• Describe how motivation theories can be applied to maximize employee productivity, retention, professional development, and satisfaction.
• Explain leadership attributes that most contribute to the effectiveness of tourism managers.
• Explain why groups and teams are key contributors to the effectiveness of tourism organizations.
• Describe how tourism managers can encourage/facilitate collaborative decision-making.
• Explain how human resource management helps gain competitive advantage.
• Describe the functions of human resource management within the context of a tourism organization.
• Explain how operations management ensures a high-quality tourism experience.

NRRT 625 Communication has many roles in tourism management, from the most obvious: communicating with current and potential visitors; to more subtle applications such as internal and external stakeholder communication, conflict and change management. This course offers a review of current theoretical approaches to communication study, as well as practical application of communication techniques relevant to tourism management.

NRRT 650 Financial Management in Tourism, focuses on enhancing the student’s understanding of key concepts of finance as they relate to managing a travel and tourism business. While many of the concepts covered in this course are applicable to those students who find themselves working for large corporations, the content also applies for those students working in or starting smaller entrepreneurial tourism enterprises. Discussions, applications, and case studies will enable students to apply concepts specifically to businesses within the travel and tourism industry. Section 1 of the course introduces students to the financial accounting aspect of finance, including an introduction to the development, interpretation, and analysis of financial statements; analysis of profit, profitability, and breakeven, as well as forecasting and budgeting. Section 2 addresses management accounting aspects of finance; including working capital management, time value of money and capital budgeting.

Course Objectives:

By taking this course, students will be able to

• describe the nature of financial statements used by travel and tourism businesses.
• apply techniques for the analysis of financial statements for a travel and tourism business and organization.
• distinguish between profit and profitability.
• analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of a travel and tourism business and organization.
• describe the steps in selecting, evaluating, and applying financial forecasting models.
• describe a travel and tourism business’s revenue base, sales forecasts, assets, and a need for financing.
• apply methods of dealing with current asset management and current liability management.
• calculate and apply future- and present value of lump sums used to solve time-value-of-money problems.
• calculate and apply future- and present-value annuities used to solve time-value-of-money problems.
• describe the purpose, need, and implications for making appropriate capital budgeting decisions.
• describe and apply the steps required in making a capital budgeting decision.

The NRRT 655 course examines various marketing theories and concepts and their application within a travel and tourism organizational context. The first part of this course describes the tourism marketing process and the unique nature of tourism marketing, as compared to the marketing of other products and services. The second part of the course discusses tourism marketing opportunities and strategies. This includes an examination of the dynamic tourism market and how it influences tourism demand, the use of market research and information systems to better understand tourist behaviour, and the subsequent development and application of market segmentation, targeting and positioning strategies. The third and final part of this course continues the discussion of the tourism marketing mix by focusing on product design and development, pricing considerations, the use of particular distribution channels, and the promotion of tourism products and services.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Define and explain the general concepts and theories behind the marketing of tourism products and services
• Describe the unique nature of the travel and tourism industry and how it influences the marketing process
• Examine the role of market research and marketing information systems in understanding tourist motivations and behavior
• Discuss external factors and their impact on the tourism marketing process
• Apply market segmentation techniques to travel and tourism markets
• Discuss and apply the marketing mix as it applies to travel and tourism

Coalesce everything learned in the Master of Tourism Management program through an 8-week team project. Work with community partners to conduct an applied research or consultancy project, and then provide a final written and oral report to present to the stakeholders. Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally, develop their networking and leadership skills, and work cooperatively in teams.

NRRT 671, Strategic Management for Travel and Tourism focuses on enhancing student’s understanding of the concepts underlying the strategic management of a travel and tourism business. The first section of the course introduces the strategic process as well as conducting an internal analysis of factors within the travel and tourism organization. The second section discusses the external analysis of the organization, with a specific focus on both the macro‐ context and micro‐context (i.e., the competitive environment) of the external environment of the organization. Combination of these two sections results in the development of an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to the organization (SWOT). Section three examines strategic choice and strategy implementation for a travel and tourism organization. This includes discussions of competitive strategy and directions, methods of development for travel and tourism, evaluation, selection, and implementation of strategic choices. The section also addresses international and global strategies for travel and tourism organizations.

Course Objectives:

By taking this course, students will be able to

• Describe the strategic process as it applies to travel and tourism organizations and the industry.
• Articulate the fundamental components of an internal analysis of a travel and tourism organization.
• Present the role and application of conducting an internal analysis of the travel and tourism organization.
• List the fundamental components of an external analysis of a travel and tourism organization.
• Explain the role and application of conducting an external analysis of a travel and tourism organization.
• Apply the internal and external analyses to the development of an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the organization (SWOT analysis).
• State development, evaluation, and selection of strategic choices for a travel and tourism organization.
• Explain the process of strategy implementation for a travel and tourism organization.
• Recognize the nature of the internationalization and globalization of the tourism industry

Applies project management knowledge and skills to the planning of tourism events. Event planning, logistics, and management best practices are discussed within the context of leisure, cultural, sporting, lifestyle and business meetings and events.

Introduction to the fundamentals of leadership theory and different leadership styles. Apply this knowledge at an individual, organizational, and community level within a tourism context. The role of leadership in service excellence, crisis and change management, and sustainability is examined, with a focus on providing the necessary skills to develop resilient tourism industry leaders.

Co-taught by our Industry Advisory Board this two course series NRRT 679A and NRRT 679B provide an avenue for industry engagement through a guest speaker series that touches upon current topics within the tourism industry. It also focuses on professional development and career preparation for the tourism industry. Students will learn how to develop a resume and digital profiles to help them present themselves in a professional and relevant manner to other tourism industry professionals. Students will also be given opportunities to network and engage with tourism industry professionals through a mentoring program.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this two-course series, students will be able to:

• Prepare a professional resume and digital profiles to assist in job searching within the tourism industry
• Communicate in a professional manner (written and verbal) with tourism industry professionals
• Learn about the ins-and-outs of the tourism industry in a one-on-one setting with a tourism professional mentor
• Critically evaluate current issues pertinent to the tourism industry
• Network and engage tourism professionals to assist with career development

The tourism management master's degree requires that students have the following:

• Bachelor's degree from a regionally-accredited institution.
• A 3.0 GPA on all undergraduate coursework. Exceptions to this are made on a case-by-case basis.
• GRE scores are not required.

Three letters of recommendation (professional and/or academic):
Three professional recommendations are required. You will provide information about your recommenders in the online application. CSU will contact them with instructions and a link to a secure form they will submit on your behalf.

Statement of purpose:
Please provide a one-page letter addressing: 1) why you selected this program, 2) what you hope to gain from the program, and 3) your future career goals.

Complete the online graduate application and pay the nonrefundable application processing fee (payable online). As soon as you have completed the required information, please submit your application. Your application will not be reviewed until it is complete and all required materials have been received.

• Select "Tourism Management (M.T.M.) – Distance" when choosing the program of study.

Request one official transcript of all collegiate work completed from all institutions attended. Transcripts from Colorado State University are not required. Transcripts must be received directly from the originating institution to be considered official.

Electronic (preferred):
Digital Transcripts must be submitted by the originating institution using a secure service such as parchment, eScrip-Safe, the National Student Clearinghouse, or e-Quals. Transcripts received via emails are considered unofficial.

Use institution code 4075 for Colorado State University or gradadmissions@colostate.edu if the secure service requires an email address.

Mail (if necessary)
Graduate Admissions
Colorado State University – Office of Admissions
1062 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1062

View your application status at any time to ensure your application checklist is complete or to check on updates.

Proof of English language proficiency is required for applicants from countries or United States territories where there are official languages other than (or in addition to) English. This includes the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.

Learn more about English language proficiency requirements.