Programme structure
The programme consists of 60 Credits (ECTS), equivalent to 1500 hours of study, offered over two semesters (October-January and February-June) and distributed as follows:
Programme structure
Compulsory Module: 21 ECTS
Common to all students, worth 21 ECTS (7 courses worth 3 ECTS each) and offered in Semester 1.
| Theme | Course | Topics to be covered |
|---|---|---|
| Competitiveness and sustainability | Evolution of tourism | - Economic growth and mass tourism |
| The tourism system | - Tourism as a system: components, interrelationships and impacts | |
| Tourism competitiveness | - Basic principles of competitiveness | |
| Tourism sustainability | - Basic principles of sustainability | |
| Monitoring and evaluation | Monitoring and evaluation for an optimal governance | - Governance and planning in tourism destinations - Reasons for the monitoring and evaluation of tourism programmes and projects - Monitoring and evaluation of results - Logical framework and definition of alternatives: ex-ante evaluation - Ex-post evaluation and impact assessment |
| Elements for monitoring | - Monitoring in tourism projects and programs | |
| Economic principles of evaluation | - Foundations and stages of cost-benefit analysis |
Specialization Module: 15 ECTS
Students must take all the courses in their chosen specialization (monitoring or evaluation) and may choose courses in the other specialization as part of the complementary module. These courses will normally be offered in Semester 1, but exceptionally there may be some offered in Semester 2. Each specialization is worth 15 ECTS (5 courses worth 3 ECTS each).
| Theme | Course | Topics to be covered |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring techniques applied to tourism | Data reduction techniques | - Design and construction of specific indicators |
| Generating and gathering quantitative information for tourism | - Primary and secondary data sources for tourism | |
| Qualitative analysis techniques | - Qualitative data generation and analysis | |
| Analysis and interpretation of results | - Measures of correlation and tests | |
| Causal analysis and prediction | - Regression with qualitative variables | |
| Evaluation techniques applied to tourism | Analysis of economic impacts | - Typology of economic impacts |
| Evaluation of non-economic impacts | - Willingness-to-pay and willingness-to-accept - The value of time - Valuation of health improvements - Valuation of environmental impacts - Methodologies of non-market valuation (revealed and stated preferences) | |
| Integrated modeling of economic impacts | - Stylized facts and growth modeling - Externalities and taxes in a dynamic economy - Capital accumulation and welfare - Externalities in the tourism sector - Pollution and environmental preservation | |
| Extensions of economic evaluation | - Evaluation and decision making - Theory and quantitative methods - Project management and presentation - Case study | |
| Econometrics of Programme Evaluation | - Experimental versus non-experimental evaluation methods - Randomized trials - Regression discontinuity - Propensity Score Matching - Difference in difference - Instrumental variables - Duration analysis | |
Complementary Module: 15 ECTS
In the complementary module students must choose between 5 courses worth 3 ECTS each (among those listed below and those listed in the specialization they have not chosen) or 3 courses worth 3 ECTS each plus the external practice worth 6 ECTS. These courses will normally be offered in Semester 2, but exceptionally there may be some offered in Semester 1.
| Theme | Course | Topics to be covered |
|---|---|---|
| Elective courses | Topics in tourism and environmental economics | - Selection of elementary economics topics needed for other courses, including consumer behaviour, supply-side economics, and markets |
| Tourism and climate change | - Tourism as a generator of greenhouse gases | |
| Analysis of competition in the tourism industry | - Analysis of the market structures of tourism companies: airlines, tour operators and the accommodation sector - Price discrimination and vertical control of companies operating in the tourism industry - Competition and tactical collusion of tourism companies - Product differentiation in the tourism sector - Barriers to entry and concentration strategies in the tourism sector - R&D&I as an element of competition in the tourism industry - Monitoring of competition in the tourism field - Evaluation of competition policies in the tourism industry | |
| Principles of International Economics applied to tourism | - International Economic Models applied to tourism. - Tourism and terms of trade. - Specialization and tourism - Practical cases of Tourism Economics | |
| Governance in the tourism areas: tourism and environmental policy | - Governance and Planning in tourist destinations. - Public-private cooperation and the participation of those involved - Best practices in destination management plans - Environmental regulation instruments - Best practices in environmental regulation in the tourism sector | |
Tourism and development | - Trade openness, tourism and economic development - Tourism and economic growth. The Tourism-Based Growth Hypothesis (TLGH)- Economic convergence and the role of tourism
| |
Integrated management of quality, environment and labour safety | - Integrated management systems - Quality management systems- Environmental management systems
| |
| Geographical information systems for tourism management | - Design and implementation of digital datasets - Advanced spatial analysis techniques for the diagnosis and evaluation of tourism issues - Thematic mapping - The application of geographical information systems to tourism - Advanced geographical visualization techniques | |
| Practical placements | Practical placements (internship) can be carried out at a private firm or at a public office but it does not in any case represent an offer of employment. It is required that students possess a knowledge of Spanish equivalent to the B2 level if they undertake the placement in Spain. More information will be provided at the time of the registration. | |
Final Master's Project: 9 ECTS
The Final Master's Project is worth 9 ECTS and will be developed in Semester 2. A thesis supervisor will be provided among the academic staff teaching in METME. More information will be provided at the start of the academic year.
Visit the electronic study guides for a more detailed description of the courses.