Tourism & Hospitality Management

The Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management is ideal for people who want to help shape the future of tourism with sustainable and innovative approaches.

In addition to exciting practical projects with companies from the business world, the curriculum also includes multi-day excursions, expert discussions and company visits to gain practical insights into the world of tourism and the leisure industry. Students learn more about the management of tourism businesses (including personnel management and decision-making) as well as digital and classic marketing of destinations and services.

In the full-time variant of the study program, students can also specialize in hotel management, event and conference design, mobility or food entrepreneurship. In the dual variant of the program, theory phases at the university of applied sciences alternate with practical phases at the respective practice partner.

The Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management is taught in German. Approximately 25 % of the courses are held in English.

At FHWien der WKW, you study real business. All study programs have a very high practical relevance. Two-thirds of our lecturers come directly from the business world and pass on their specialist knowledge and professional experience to our students.

In addition to exciting practical projects with companies from the business world, students gain valuable and exclusive practical insights through excursions, company visits and discussions with experts. There is also a mandatory internship (full-time variant: in the 4^th semester, at least 700 hours) or mandatory work experience (dual variant: from the 3^rd semester, 20 hours per week). This allows students to put their know-how into practice right away.

The Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management is suitable for people who enjoy working in tourism, want to take a look behind the scenes and are interested in furthering their education. The tourism and leisure industry is one of the most exciting and diverse professional sectors in the world.

The study content of the two programs is largely identical. Exceptions are the practical phases in the dual study program (semesters 3-6) and the specializations as well as the compulsory internship in the full-time variant.

In the first semester, you will learn about all specializations and make your selection based on this at the end of the semester. The selected specialization can then no longer be changed.

No prior knowledge is required for the specializations.

You have the possibility to organize your internship yourself. Of course, we will support you in this. The Tourism & Hospitality Management study program includes a mandatory foreign component (either an internship abroad in the 4^th semester or a semester abroad in the 5^th semester). If you choose to complete your compulsory internship in Austria in the 4^th semester, you will spend the 5^th semester at one of our partner universities abroad.

After completing your studies, the entire range of work opportunities in tourism is open to you, regardless of the specialization you have chosen.

A dual study program is characterized by the regular alternation between theoretical and practical phases. There is an interlocking of learning locations: academic learning location (FHWien der WKW) and practical learning location (practical company).

In the first year of study (1^st and 2^nd semesters), no professional practice takes place yet and is to be understood as the theoretical foundation of the dual study program. From the 2^nd year of study (= 3^rd semester) onwards, you will be employed by a practice partner for 2.5 days each (an average of 20 hours per week) in order to acquire the professional practice relevant to this study program. You will spend the other 2.5 days at FHWien der WKW.

In the 1^st semester, you will receive application training and an introduction to our practical partners. Our partner companies cover the entire spectrum of the tourism industry. Our practical partners include hotel companies, tour operators and travel agencies, congress companies and mobility companies.

In the 2^nd semester, the application phase begins, during which you will contact the desired companies directly. Of course, we will support you with questions regarding your application. Matching with the practical companies then takes place within the 2^nd semester before the practical phases start in the 3^rd semester.

During the first two semesters you will be full-time with us on campus. The practical phases start in the 3^rd semester. We work with the model of a split week, i.e. you spend 2.5 days (20 hours) with your practice partner and 2.5 days at the campus of FHWien der WKW.

A contract of employment is concluded between you and the practice company. The payment and salary classification are the responsibility of the company. We have no influence on this.

The following contractual regulations apply:

• Company and FHWien der WKW: Cooperation agreement
• Practice company and students: Work contract
• Students and FHWien der WKW: Learning agreement

Of course, it is possible to already “bring along” a practice company. There are criteria and requirements that must be met in order to ensure the quality of the training. In this case, please contact the study program directly.

The Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management lasts a total of 6 semesters.

The Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management is offered both full-time and as a dual program.

The full-time program runs from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and occasionally on Saturdays.

Lectures for the dual study program take place Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and occasionally on Saturdays. Starting in the third semester, students spend 2.5 days per week on campus and 2.5 days per week with their practical partner.

The Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management is generally a full-time program. You should plan for an average weekly workload of approximately 40 hours (lectures and self-study). However, some of our students work part-time alongside their studies.

The dual program is designed to enable working professionals to efficiently combine their career and studies, alternating between theoretical and practical phases.

No, in the full-time variant of the Bachelor’s program, employment is not mandatory and no proof of employment is required.

In the dual study program, employment is part of the study program and is therefore mandatory. We will assist you in finding a suitable company. From the third semester onwards, theory and practical phases alternate: 2.5 days are spent on campus and 2.5 days at the partner company.

A failed final examination for a course can be retaken twice, with the second retake being conducted as an examination before a board of examiners. If you fail the examination before a board of examiners, you can apply to repeat the year. An interruption of studies for personal, health or professional reasons can be requested from the Head of Program. This will be granted for a maximum of one year and can be extended for a further year if there are suitable reasons.

A stay abroad is mandatory in the full-time variant of the Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management. You can either complete it as an internship abroad in the 4^th semester or as a semester abroad at a partner university in the 5^th semester.

A stay abroad is an unforgettable experience and offers a unique opportunity to get to know foreign cultures, improve foreign language skills and make international friends. It is also a great asset on your resume.

FHWien der WKW cooperates with approximately 160 partner universities worldwide. An overview of our partner universities can be found here. Please note that not every partner institution is suitable for every study program. For a semester abroad as part of the Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management, places are mainly available at European partner universities (e.g. in Spain, France, the Netherlands etc.). However, we are constantly striving to expand our network for you. At the beginning of your studies, our mobility coordinator for the study programs will be happy to inform you about your exact options.

When applying for a semester abroad, students must specify four partner universities where they would like to spend their semester abroad (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th choice). Places for study abroad are allocated based on average grades. If average grades are the same, there are additional selection criteria such as the first-come-first-served principle, based on the date of submission of the application.

Yes, you must complete a professional internship as part of the Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management. In the full-time program, you will complete the professional internship in the 4^th semester, comprising at least 700 hours. In the dual study program, you will complete the professional internship from the 3^rd semester to the 6^th semester, comprising 20 hours per week.

Upon completion of the Bachelor’s program in Tourism & Hospitality Management, you will be awarded the academic degree Bachelor of Arts in Business (BA).

Thanks to our practical training, our graduates are highly sought after on the job market. Our alumni have access to a wide range of career opportunities both in Austria and abroad:

• Strategic development, management and marketing of tourist destinations
• Planning, implementation and controlling of conferences and events
• Development, marketing and management of tourist attractions and services
• Product and service design for tour operators and travel agents
• Consulting activities at international consulting firms
• Operational management and controlling in the hotel and restaurant industry
• Entrepreneurship in tourism and upstream and downstream services

You have the option of organizing your own internship in the full-time variant of the study program. We will, of course, support you in this.

FHWien der WKW has its own job platform for students and graduates. In the Career Center, you will find exciting jobs and internships from companies in various industries. The platform also provides helpful career and application tips.

Once a year in fall, FHWien der WKW also holds its Career Day. This career fair offers a free CV check and an application photo shoot. You can also get in touch with exciting companies and find out about current job vacancies.

In the dual study program, the practice partners are introduced in the first semester and you receive application training. In the second semester, you can apply to your desired practice partner.

Tuition fees amount to € 363.36 per semester for EU and EEA citizens, Swiss citizens and third-country nationals with exceptional circumstances. Third-country nationals who do not qualify for exceptional circumstances are required to pay different tuition fees.

In addition to the tuition fees, the ÖH contribution and the special contribution of € 25.20 per semester must be paid.

A detailed list of costs and exceptions for third-country nationals can be found here.

(As of August 2025)

During the 6 semesters of the Tourism & Hospitality Management study program, you will have to pay approximately 550 euros in addition to the tuition fees. This includes the costs for the introductory excursion in the 1^st semester or the self-organized excursion in the 2^nd semester. However, we always try to keep the fees as student-friendly as possible.

Under certain conditions, students are entitled to various forms of financial support (e.g. study grants, travel allowances, insurance contributions, childcare allowances) and scholarships (e.g. graduation scholarships, self-support scholarships). The ÖH FHWien is available to answer any questions you may have.

In accordance with the Study Grant Act (Studienförderungsgesetz), merit-based scholarships are also awarded each year for outstanding achievements in the previous academic year. The amount of each scholarship is determined annually by the Federal Ministry of Science and Research and ranges from EUR 726.72 (double tuition fees) to EUR 1,500.00. You will be informed annually about the application and award process by mail.

(As of August 2025)

No, no previous experience in tourism is required for the study program.

Recognition is only possible if the acquired knowledge is equivalent to the requirement profile in terms of content and scope of the course to be waived. Therefore, school subjects cannot be credited in principle.

All information on admission requirements, the admissions procedure, dates and deadlines, as well as helpful downloads, instructions and FAQ can be found here.

The study program begins each year in September.

For first-year students, there is a kick-off event and an introductory excursion where you can get to know the Head of Program, lecturers and your fellow students, and receive important information about your study program and tourism.