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 abroad 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 your host university.

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.
• In the event of hotel closure due to the COVID19 pandemic, we have also developed a substantial online component to substitute the practical experience.
• 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 The Arora Group, BaxterStorey, Claridges, Dorchester Collection, EDITION Hotels, Exclusive Hotels and Venues, Georgian House Hotel, Hand Picked Hotels, The Landmark London,Levy UK and Ireland, Moet Hennessey, Milsoms Hotels and Restaurants, Royal Lancaster London, the Savoy Educational Trust, Sbe – among 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 just need to provide your own white shirts and black shoes.

Your future

The skills you will gain throughout your Hospitality Management degree will be transferrable 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 this programme can go onto careers, in the UK or internationally, in areas such as:

• Resorts
• Hotels
• Restaurants
• Marketing and sales
• Events or festival management
• Cruise ships
• Airlines

Teaching

• In the first and second years, each year consists of up to 21 weeks of teaching, 8 weeks gaining experience in the hotel and 2 weeks self-study, in addition to your holidays.
• In the final year, you will have up to 21 weeks of teaching, 5 weeks gaining experience in the hotel and 2 weeks self-study, in addition to your holidays.
• During a teaching week you would spend around 9 hours in lectures, or smaller seminars.
• During a hotel week you would spend 4 or 5 days on shift, Monday – Sunday, gaining experience and applying the academic theory from your lectures.
• Hospitality Management students gain experience throughout the course in the following departments: front of house, kitchen and restaurant, housekeeping, and conference and events. You will also undertake duty manager shifts in Level 6.
• Term dates for this programme may differ from the standard termly timetable. Please contact our professional services team at ehs@essex.ac.uk for further information.

Assessment

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

• Essays
• Exams
• Posters
• Presentations
• Reflective statements
• Reports
• Dissertation
• Consultancy Project. The consultancy project enables you to work on a project or problem for an external client. Past consultancy projects have included social media and marketing strategies, brand development and new hotel launches. Edge Hotel School students have been offered job opportunities with their level 6 project clients having demonstrated their capacity to deliver highly professional solutions and positive outcomes.
• 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.