What you will study
University of Surrey's PhD Hospitality and Tourism Management programme takes around three to four years of full-time study. You’ll take on a structured, supervised programme of scholarly research, leading to a thesis that makes an original contribution to the field and is suitable to be published in a series of high-quality, refereed journal articles. Visit the programme website for more information
You’ll be assigned two supervisors with expertise in your area; normally one will be an expert in your subject, and one who is an expert in methodology. Your supervisors will guide you through your PhD, from developing your project through to your analysis and writing your thesis. You’ll normally meet with your supervisor every four to six weeks.
There’s no formal teaching as part of your PhD programme, but you’ll benefit from a range of support and learning opportunities in addition to your supervision meetings. These include a tailored weekly programme of formal research training in research methodology and career development. You’ll have the chance to present and discuss your research at our weekly research seminars.
You’ll also be able to take any of our MSc modules and join our range of interactive workshops that run throughout the year, exploring topics such as personal effectiveness, information skills, presenting research and job skills. You’ll also be able to qualify as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy by completing the Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching.
We encourage our students to attend international conferences and training courses. We can support your travel costs to these events.
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Programme Structure
Research themes include:
Competitiveness of the visitor economy
- Economic modelling and forecasting
- Innovation, entrepreneurship, risk and uncertainty
Digital transformation in the visitor economy
- Digital transformation in tourism, hospitality and events, including new media and consumer behaviour, new business models and disruptive innovation, transformation in business operations and performance
- Smart systems in tourism, hospitality and events, including artificial intelligence and robotics, sensors and internet-of-things
Sustainability and wellbeing in the visitor economy
- Sustainability evidence-based policy making
- Industry’s acceptance of responsibility for sustainable development
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Admission requirements
Academic requirements
GPA: First Class
English requirements
- Duolingo English Test: 130
- TOEFL iBT: 95 OR 5 (new TOEFL iBT 1-6 score, CEFR-aligned)
- PTE Academic: 76
- IELTS: 7
Other requirements
General requirements
- Applicants are expected to hold a masters degree at a minimum of a distinction level in a relevant discipline from an approved university.
- If you do not hold such a degree, you may be admitted, providing you hold a first-class (1st) bachelors degree from an approved university or a professional or other qualification deemed by the University to be appropriate.
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Fees and funding
Tuition Fees
Tuition fees are shown in AUD and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.
International (Non-residents): 43,238 AUD / year (≈ 22,700 GBP / year)
Domestic (Citizens or residents): 9,977 AUD / year (≈ 5,238 GBP / year)
Additional Details
Part-time
- UK £2,619
- Overseas £11,400
Living costs
Guildford, United Kingdom: 1,257-2,171 AUD / month
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
