Sport, Tourism & Hospitality Management
Sport, Tourism & Hospitality Management
Start your career journey with one of our Event, Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management degrees and a world of opportunity awaits when you graduate.
While all of these fascinating areas are closely related, they maintain distinct industry sectors.With sport fast becoming an international commodity, and hospitality and tourism being two of the fastest growing sectors of the economy, your career prospects are broad and bright.
Our Sport Management graduate wins WA Business Icon competition
The WA Business Icon competition is an annual event, inviting young people to compete in a range of activities over a 10-day period, and mixes the best elements of competitive TV shows such as The Apprentice and Australian Idol.
Ben Smith, 2009 graduate from our Sport Management discipline and 2010 winner of the WA Business Icon competition said, "I could put all the skills I had attained at ECU right into play. Taking the cake from 600 other applicants reinforces why ECU is such a great place to study."
This is the second consecutive year one of our Faculty of Business and Law students has won the award.
Sport Management graduate awarded $10,000 scholarship
One of our 2010 Sport Management graduates, Ashleigh Davis, was awarded the 2011 Dr Heather MacGowan OAM Scholarship, by the Department of Sport and Recreation, which recognises the work and achievements of an inspirational and extraordinary individual.
The $10,000 scholarship will be used by Asleigh to undertake research into promoting and marketing international sporting events.
Gain practical experience in the industry of your choice
Opportunities to network, field trips, and industry placements are key features of our Event, Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management courses.
Our Hospitality Management students get hands-on experience in the Degrees Restaurant at our Joondalup Campus, experiencing all aspects of the business, from food production and service, to menu planning and marketing.
ECU Prpfessor awarded Order of Australia (OAM) Medal and leads ecotourism industry
A key area of study offered via our Tourism Management courses is Ecotourism. The term refers to environmentally responsible tourism, which includes tourists visiting natural landscapes and understanding the nature and culture of these areas.
The tourism appeal of the world's most ecologically significant locations is fast becoming an exciting, desirable tourism commodity, providing big business and career opportunities.
"Ecotourism is the heart of Australia's tourism as it centres on both environmentally and socially responsible tourism. My passion has been to champion ecotourism as an exemplar of sustainable tourism that leaves both the tourist and the host with positive experiences and outcomes," said Professor Ross Dowling.
Professor Dowling is our Foundation Professor of Tourism with our School of Marketing, Tourism and Leisure. He is also the co-founder of Ecotourism Australia, which is now widely regarded as the world's leading ecotourism industry body, and he is committed to the advancement of geotourism and cruise ship tourism.
Professor Dowling was recognised on the 2011 Australia Day Honours List, receiving a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to the hospitality and tourism industry, education and the development of ecotourism. This award is the highest honour an Australian can receive for outstanding achievement and service to their country.
Our Sport and Recreation Graduate attends the World Leisure Future Leader Program
Natasha Nicholson, one of our Sport and Recreation graduates and Facilities Planning Officer at the City of Swan, attended the World Leisure Congress in August 2010 as part of the World Leisure Future Leader program.
In 2010 I saw an ad on the Parks and Leisure Australia (PLA) website about the World Leisure Future Leader Program, and an opening to attend the World Leisure Congress and World Leisure Games in ChunCheon, South Korea.
Not one to miss an opportunity, and with the support of the staff at Edith Cowan University, I promptly submitted an application and was subsequently awarded a scholarship, along with 24 other international students, for one of the most challenging and memorable experiences of my life.
The World Leisure Future Leader Program is run by the World Leisure Organisation which is dedicated to discovering and fostering leisure opportunities that support human growth, development and well-being. The Program aims to bring together leisure industry leaders from around the world to make meaningful connections and share knowledge.
The most valuable experience I gained through attending the Congress was networking with likeminded people from around the world and learning what leisure means in other countries.
Students broaden their future with DSR's career pathways award
The Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) offers an annual 'Student Futures Package' to a select few WA students through their Career Pathways Program.
In 2010, our Event, Sport and Recreation Management students Leah Evans and Samantha Elkington were successful in being offered DSR packages, which included:
- attendance at a specialised industry networking event with representatives from sport and recreation organisations
- a professional development workshop
- funding to complete an official sport or recreation accreditation
- an official certificate of recognition
Industry placements pave the way for bright careers
Third year students enrolled in the Industry Practice unit in 2010 were required to complete a professional placement in industry, undertaking a minimum of 100 hours work, to create a portfolio and make a poster presentation at an awards ceremony. Each student was also interviewed and had the quality of their material assessed by three guest judges.
Sarah Campbell, our Sport Management student, and winner of the Dr Heather MacGowan (OAM) Professional Practice in Sport, Recreation and Event Management award, said, "It was a fantastic experience and I am really grateful to both ECU and my supervisor."
Ashleigh Davis, another ECU award winner, is now working full-time with Triathlon WA, where she completed her industry practice.
"The best aspect of my degree was the practical experience."
"I chose ECU because their Hospitality and Tourism Management degree came highly recommended. Later on I discovered I wanted to steer my career in a slightly different direction and ECU was there to help. I even managed to migrate the units I'd completed across to my new course. The best aspect of my degree was the practical experience. Lecturers made a point of using different methods to ensure they catered for different learning styles. I enjoyed learning in a practical way because I found I took more in."
Alecia Tomkins
Event, Sport and Recreation Management graduate
Cruise ships take tourism industry to new heights
The cruise ship market is a rapidly expanding sector within the Tourism industry and we were the first university in the southern hemisphere to offer Cruise Ship Tourism as an area of study via our Tourism Management courses.
Our students learn from leading industry professionals and engage with industry via a cruise on the Swan River and a familiarisation tour of a cruise ship at Fremantle Port. In recent semesters students have inspected the Sun Princess, Athena and Black Watch cruise ships.
Turn up the heat with one of our Hospitality Management degrees
Our Hospitality Management students get hands-on experience across all aspects of the industry at our on-campus Degrees Restaurant where students practice a range of customer-facing and behind-the-scenes skills including food production, service, menu planning and marketing. The restaurant is a fully licensed and modern dining restaurant located in Building 9 on our Joondalup campus.
Lecturer Chad Tilbury said, "Our students train in all aspects of food and beverage management and love to share their passion with real customers. Our menus are an enticing blend of café, classics, fusion and modern fare, and with menu items changing from week to week, we hope there is something to please everyone."
Convert your love of the outdoors into a career
Select from a range of Leisure Leadership or Recreation Management units and learn about leadership, group dynamics and the natural environment while you're abseiling, bushwalking, or on a 3-day / 2-night cycle tour!You'll be surprised at how many outdoor careers require business expertise.
"With ECU's Sport Management degree, I hit the ground running."
"My ECU Sport Management degree took me straight from study to a great job working for the City of Wanneroo as a Program Officer where I manage a variety of sport programs. The hands-on nature of my course gave me the advantage of being job-ready. The guidance my lecturers gave me on how to write fluently has been indispensable and enables me to write effective business reports. Now I’m keen to go even further in my studies, by completing an ECU Honours degree next year."
Ben Smith
Sport Management graduate