BA Hotel Management

The BA (Hons) Hotel Management Top Up offers a progression route for applicants who wish to complete their BA (Hons) degree after completing an appropriate Level 5 qualification (such as HND, Advanced Diploma or Foundation degree). The Top Up is the last eight months of the accelerated BA (Hons) Hotel Management degree and encompasses the theory and practical experience you will need for a successful career in the hospitality industry.

For accurate and up to date information regarding this course, structure and fee information, please email us at ehs@essex.ac.uk.

The course combines hotel experience in Wivenhoe House, a 4* country house hotel on Essex's Colchester campus, with industry-relevant business management lectures to prepare you to become a successful manager.

With a student experience unlike any other, it may come as no surprise that the Edge Hotel School is ranked in the top 10 in the UK for overall positivity in our subject area (National Student Survey 2023, English Broad Discipline Institutions).

The top up degree will enable candidates to update their vocational skills, competences and knowledge of the industry. They will have the opportunity to develop and unlock their professional capabilities. The course has a high profile with members of the industry and is heavily industry engaged .

The Edge Hotel School experience is unlike any other student experience, where you will get the best of both worlds. Not only will you graduate from a well-renowned university - you will refine your industry knowledge and professional skills by gaining valuable experience in a fully-commercial 4* hotel alongside your studies.

Professional accreditation

Accredited by the Institute of Hospitality that academic, vocational and professional standards achieved are appropriate and programme content and delivery meet international Institute of Hospitality benchmark standards.

Our expert staff

Our staff includes lecturers with both professional as well as academic backgrounds to ensure you are taught by people with industry-relevant experience themselves. Among our academic staff are published authors including a former hotel General Manager, a Food and Beverage Manager for award-winning cruise lines, an organiser of the BRIT Awards and London Fashion Week and a Dr. (PhD) with international research experience.

Specialist facilities

• In Wivenhoe House you can gain experience in a 40-bedroom country house hotel on the university campus with a brasserie restaurant and a busy conference and events function that hosts over 300 events and 50 weddings annually. If for any reason the hotel is subject to closures during rotations, we have developed a comprehensive platform of online skills and experience workshops to replicate the practical experience offer as closely as possible.
• The Edge Hotel School has connections with a range of organisations across the hospitality and events industries – throughout your studies you can expect guest lectures, masterclasses and an annual careers fair to help further your career prospects. Supporters of the Edge Hotel School include:
  • BaxterStorey
  • Dorchester Collection
  • Edge Foundation
  • Exclusive Hotels and Venues
  • Master Innholders
  • Moet Hennessey
  • Milsoms Hotels and Restaurants
  • Royal Lancaster London
  and many others.
• The Edge Hotel Society hosts student-organised events including industry speakers, student social events and an annual ball.
• As an Edge Hotel School student you will be issued with a uniform to wear for your shifts in Wivenhoe House and when representing the School externally. You will need to provide your own white shirts and black shoes.

Your future

The skills you will gain throughout your (BA) Hotel Management Top Up will be transferable to a range of working environments within the hospitality industry including hotels, restaurants, resorts and event management. There are opportunities throughout the course to meet hotel general managers and recruitment managers to further your professional network.

Graduates of the Hotel Management programme have gone onto careers in:

• Hotel management
• Food and beverage management
• Housekeeping
• Guest experience
• Interior design
• Marketing and sales
• Restaurant management
• Events management
• Airlines and airport operations

"With over 35 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, successfully developing young individuals had been a constant throughout my career. It was with this scope in mind that I began my academic journey here at the Edge Hotel School with the BA Hotel Management Top Up degree that has led to my becoming a lecturer and PhD researcher here at the University of Essex."

Dimitri Lera, BA Hotel Management Top Up graduate and current Edge Hotel School lecturer.

UK entry requirements

• GCSE: Mathematics and English C/4, or equivalent. We can consider OFQUAL regulated Level 2 Functional Skills in Numeracy as equivalent to GCSE Maths C/4. We are able to consider a range of equivalent English language qualifications, including OFQUAL regulated level 2 Functional Skills, Key Skills level 2, literacy units taken as part of the Access to HE Diploma, or a demonstration of the use of English through essay-based subjects at either GCSE or A-level equivalent. Advice on acceptability can be provided, please contact Undergraduate Admissions for more information.

Applicants for the Top Up should hold a Level 5 qualification in a relevant subject area (e.g. business, hospitality, tourism or events)

Additional requirements

All applicants must be aged 18 or over by 31 October 2024 for October 2024 entry.

International & EU entry requirements

We accept a wide range of qualifications from applicants studying in the EU and other countries. Get in touch with any questions you may have about the qualifications we accept. Remember to tell us about the qualifications you have already completed or are currently taking.

AFGHANISTAN ALBANIA ALGERIA ANDORRA ANGOLA ANTIGUA AND BARBUADA ARGENTINA ARMENIA ARUBA AUSTRALIA AUSTRIA AZERBAIJAN BAHAMAS BAHRAIN BANGLADESH BARBADOS BELARUS (BYELORUSSIA) BELGIUM BELIZE BENIN BERMUDA BHUTAN BOLIVIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA BOTSWANA BRAZIL BRUNEI BULGARIA BURKINA FASO BURUNDI CAMBODIA (KAMPUCHEA, KHMER R) CAMEROON CANADA CAPE VERDE ISLANDS CENTRAL AFRICAN REP CHAD CHILE CHINA COLOMBIA COMOROS CONGO CONGO (DEM REB, ZAIRE) COSTA RICA CROATIA CUBA CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK DJIBOUTI DOMINICA DOMINICAN REP EAST TIMOR ECUADOR EGYPT EL SALVADOR EQUATORIAL GUINEA ERITREA ESTONIA ETHIOPIA (ABYSSINIA) FIJI FINLAND FRANCE GABON GAMBIA GEORGIA GERMANY GHANA GIBRALTAR GILBERT ISLANDS (KIRIBATI) GREECE GRENADA GUATEMALA GUIANA, FRENCH GUINEA GUINEA BISSAU GUYANA HAITI HONDURAS HONG KONG HUNGARY ICELAND INDIA INDONESIA IRAN (ISLAMIC REP) IRAQ IRELAND, REP ISRAEL ITALY IVORY COAST JAMAICA JAPAN JORDAN KAZAKHSTAN KENYA KOREA SOUTH KOSOVO KUWAIT KYRGYZSTAN (KIRGIZIA) LAOS LATVIA LEBANON LESOTHO LIBERIA LIBYA LIECHTENSTEIN LITHUANIA LUXEMBOURG MACEDONIA. ALSO SKOPJE MADAGASCAR (MALAGASY REP) MALAWI MALAYSIA MALDIVE ISLANDS MALI MALTA MARSHALL ISLANDS MAURITANIA MAURITIUS MEXICO MOLDOVA MONACO MONGOLIA, OUTER MONTENEGRO MONTSERRAT MOROCCO MOZAMBIQUE MYANMAR (formerly Burma) NAMIBIA NAURU NEPAL NETHERLANDS (HOLLAND) NEW ZEALAND NICARAGUA NIGER NIGERIA NORWAY OMAN (MUSCAT AND OMAN) PAKISTAN PALESTINE PANAMA PAPUA NEW GUINEA PARAGUAY PERU PHILIPPINES POLAND PORTUGAL (MADEIRA, AZORES) QATAR ROMANIA RUSSIA RWANDA SAMOA (WESTERN) SAN MARINO SAUDI ARABIA SENEGAL SERBIA SEYCHELLES SIERRA LEONE SINGAPORE SLOVAKIA SLOVENIA SOLOMON ISLANDS SOMALI REPUBLIC SOUTH AFRICA SOUTH GEORGE & STH SANDWICH IS SOUTH SUDAN SPAIN SRI LANKA (CEYLON) ST. KITTS AND NEVIS ST. LUCIA ST. VINCENT SUDAN SURINAM SWAZILAND SWEDEN SWITZERLAND SYRIA TAIWAN TAJIKISTAN TANZANIA THAILAND TOGO TONGA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO TUNISIA TURKEY TURKMENISTAN TUVALU, ALSO ELLICE ISLANDS UGANDA UKRAINE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED STATES URUGUAY UZBEKISTAN VANUATU VENEZUELA VIETNAM, SOC REP YEMEN (PDR,ADEN,SOCOTRA) ZAMBIA ZIMBABWE

Sorry, the entry requirements for the country that you have selected are not available here. Please select your country page where you'll find this information.

English language requirements

English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.5 overall, or specified score in another equivalent test that we accept.

Details of English language requirements, including UK Visas and Immigration minimum component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

If we accept the English component of an international qualification then it will be included in the information given about the academic levels listed above for the relevant countries.

Please note that date restrictions may apply to some English language qualifications.

If you are an international student requiring a Student visa to study in the UK please see our immigration webpages for the latest Home Office guidance on English language qualifications.

What if my IELTS does not meet your requirements?

If you do not meet our IELTS requirements then you may be able to complete a pre-sessional English pathway that enables you to start your course without retaking IELTS.

Do I need to have achieved an acceptable English language qualification before I apply?

You don’t need to achieve the required level before making your application, but it will be one of the conditions of your offer.

What if the English language qualification I hold, or am taking, is not listed?

If you cannot find the qualification that you have achieved or are pending, then please contact Admissions on ugquery@essex.ac.uk for advice.

What are the requirements for second and final year entry?

Different requirements apply for second and final year entry, and specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a visa to study in the UK. Details of English language requirements, including UK Visas and Immigration minimum component scores, and the tests we accept for applicants who require a Student visa (excluding Nationals of Majority English Speaking Countries) can be found here

Course structure

Below is just a example of some of the modules from the current academic year. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field. The course content is therefore reviewed on an annual basis to ensure our courses remain up-to-date so modules listed are subject to change.

Level 6 (8 months) Top Up modules

• Industry Context 3
This module will enable you to think in more strategic terms. You will learn how organisations can evaluate their current operational and financial situation and the external environment that impact their businesses and how, in an incredibly turbulent environment, they can build resilience, innovation and flexibility into their future operations.
• Hotel Operations 3
This module will enable you to propose significant change throughout a business and to evaluate the potential impact on its finances. You will reflect on options for organisational strategic direction as well as working on a case study to put your recommendations in to practice.
• The Customer Experience 3
This module tests your ability to create a marketing plan for a business of your choice. It will require innovation and creativity to generate an idea for a viable, pragmatic hospitality or event business and to write a professional marketing plan, designed to attract future investors.
• Human Resources
This module will enable you to understand the fundamentals of Human Resource Management within a business. The module covers legislation, recruitment, talent management and managing performance. You will write a Human Resource policy document to support your business or business idea.
• Research Project (Dissertation)
This module is an opportunity to research a topic of your own choosing. With the support of your own individual tutor, you will produce a significant piece of research that may involve working with relevant individuals or organisations from industry, professional and personal networks and others.
• Consultancy Project
This module is your chance to work with and develop relationships with an industry client. With the support of an academic supervisor, you will test your business acumen and creativity on a project that could be of direct commercial benefit to the sponsors company. Topics can range from improving a businesses Human Resources, Marketing or Operational strategy to the development of environmental policies or organisational re-branding. It will involve both writing a professional consultancy report as well as presenting to the sponsoring industry client.

We understand that deciding where and what to study is a very important decision for you. We'll make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the courses, services and facilities as described on our website. However, if we need to make material changes, we'll let our applicants and students know as soon as possible.

Teaching

• The Top Up will last 8-months, as it is comprised of the final level of the full BA Hotel Management course.
• In the Level 6, you will have up to 18 weeks of teaching, 3 weeks gaining experience in the hotel and 5 weeks self-study, in addition to your holidays.
• During a teaching week you would spend around 10 hours per week in lectures, or smaller seminars. This may fluctuate at times during the course.
• Your hotel experience on this programme will consist of 13 shifts split over 3 weeks - Restaurant and Night Porter, Events and Housekeeping, and Duty Manager - all for one week.
• Our Top Up, like our accelerated degrees, does not follow the standard termly timetable, and students are expected to continue their academic and hotel work over the Summer, Easter and Christmas periods. Further information for the course is available on the by contacting our professional services team at ehs@essex.ac.uk.

Assessment

Your Hotel Management degree has been designed to provide a mix of assessment approaches, including:

• Essays
• Exams
• Posters
• Presentations
• Reflective statements
• Reports
• The Professional Performance Assessment (PPA) which takes the form of an interview is used throughout our courses to allow you to reflect, practise and improve your interview skills before embarking on interviews for your first graduate role.
• The Professional Code of Conduct is an important part of your assessment. It focuses on areas that are important for future managers such as attendance, punctuality and team working. The Professional Code of Conduct is available in your Student Handbook.