A world of opportunities is waiting for you. Graduates of this programme could go onto careers in the UK or overseas in hotels, restaurants, spas, cruise ships, airlines, events and visitor attractions.

The course includes integrated work experience across various departments in Wivenhoe House, a luxury hotel on Essex's Colchester campus.

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 2024, English broad discipline higher education institutions).

At Essex you will gain the knowledge and industry connections to launch your career in hospitality management. You will develop your hospitality skills and business management understanding to open up a world of opportunities in this growing industry. You will study topics including:

Change management and hospitality business innovation

Gastronomy and food trends

Finance and macro-economics

Event planning and venue management

Human resources management

Digital marketing

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

You will gain experience in the different departments of the hotel such as the kitchen, front office, restaurant, housekeeping and events department. These shifts may involve some late finishes on occasion, as well as weekend work, so that you get to see all aspects of what the hotel offers: including restaurant meals, afternoon tea, weddings, meetings, tribute acts, baby showers, conferences and more.

Final Year Entry

For those who already have a level 5 qualification or sufficient experience within the industry, there is also the option to join us for just the final year of the BA degree. Joining the existing cohort of final year Hospitality Management students, you will have a few weeks of placement in the Wivenhoe House hotel, but the majority of the year will be spent on the live consultancy project, working on a project with one of our external industry partners.

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.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year studying or employed on a placement abroad, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course.

Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable and organised.

If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee to Essex for that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to the host university in the country you will be studying in.