About the programme
The Master of Tourism Management is an NZQF level 9 programme at Lincoln University that gives students a deep understanding of tourism worldwide and prepares students for senior planning and management roles. It carries 180 credits; the standard pathway is 1.5 years of full-time study over three semesters, and the university also allows completion in 12 months with some restrictions on course choice.
Tourism has been through major disruption and is now recovering, and the programme aims to equip people to lead that recovery and rethink how the sector works. Students study the theory behind tourism, tourist behaviour and demand, the products and structure of the sector in New Zealand and internationally, the positive and negative impacts of tourism development, and approaches to managing it. It is the longest-running academic tourism programme in the country, and teaching draws on research from the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Tourism.
Compulsory courses cover tourism management and tourist behaviour. Students add a research methods course, at least one course on nature-based recreation, events and festivals or food, wine and agritourism, and at least 60 credits from a wide list ranging from business strategy and marketing to environmental planning and Māori resource management. Students with an A- average may be invited to replace 40 elective credits with a dissertation, and specialising in an area of interest is possible.
Students build quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, learn to work independently and in teams, and engage with professional ethics and issues of gender, equity and the environment. The programme is offered on campus and online, but the online version is not open to international students already in New Zealand.
Entry requirements
- A relevant New Zealand level 7 bachelor's degree or recognised equivalent, with at least a B average in 300-level and final-year courses
- A meeting with a course advisor before the first semester
- Additional English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English
What you study
- Tourism Management
- Tourist Behaviour
- Research methods option: SOCI 601, SOCI 602, ECON 615 Applied Research Methods or COMM 605 Research for Managers
- RECN 626 Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism
- RECN 640 Events and Festivals: Contexts and Concepts
- TOUR 611 Food, Wine and Agritourism: Principles and Practice
- Electives such as BMGT 618 Advanced Business Strategy, MKTG 672 Marketing Strategy, ERST 621 Principles of Environmental Impact Assessment, MAST 603 Mana Kaitiaki and ERST 636 Aspects of Sustainability
- 40-credit dissertation by invitation for students with an A- average
Careers after graduation
- Senior roles in destination marketing
- Event management
- Tourism planning, policy advisor and analyst roles in local and regional councils or central government
- Consultant or research officer in tourism and events
- Roles with regional development bodies
Post-study work visa
Up to 3 years
Depends on the qualification, the length of study and other Immigration New Zealand requirements.
This description is based on the official programme page, checked on 09/09/2026. Ask an NIU adviser about fees and intake dates — the programme page on the Lincoln University website