The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is pleased to announce a MicroMasters programme in International Hospitality Management to bridge the knowledge gap between higher education and the workplace. Signalling the latest innovation in higher education, MicroMasters is a first-of-its-kind credential with a pathway to credit, designed for learners looking for a lifelong learning opportunity to advance their careers or follow a path to an accelerated on-campus programme.
Led by Professor Hanqin Qiu, SHTM Professor, and designed to develop learners’ ability to manage high quality hospitality and tourism business across the globe, the MicroMasters in International Hospitality Management is the only online MicroMasters, offered in the form of MOOC (Mass Open Online Courses) via the edX platform, created for hospitality and tourism in the world. This innovative programme prepares learners for the careers in-demand today by offering expertise in the dynamic field of international hospitality management through four courses, namely “Luxury Management”, “Hospitality and Tourism Technology and Innovation”, “Managing Marketing in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry”, and “Managing Human Resources in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry”. Learners who successfully earn the MicroMasters credentials will be eligible to apply for the SHTM’s Master of Science in International Hospitality Management programme.
“In a world that has become very connected, it is vital for future hospitality leaders to have strong international perspectives to excel in the dynamic global environment,” Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Chair Professor and Walter Kwok Foundation Professor in International Hospitality Management, remarked. “The SHTM is privileged to work with edX, the non-profit online learning destination founded by Harvard and MIT, in offering the first-ever MicroMasters in International Hospitality Management. This innovative educational strategy enables us to offer everyone from everywhere flexible, affordable credentials for career advancement and an accelerated Master’s degree in the vital field of international hospitality management.”
Mr Eric Du, General Manager of The Dragon Hotel, Hangzhou in Mainland China said, “Over the years the Dragon Hotel has been sending managerial staff to the SHTM to study Master’s level courses. It is difficult for our staff to study and work at the same time. We are truly excited to learn that the SHTM will offer these courses online. We certainly welcome such innovative and flexible learning opportunity.”
“As an extension of the SHTM and the world’s leading integrated teaching and research hotel, our primary commitment is to develop outstanding leaders for the tourism industry. With this interactive technology, the School can deliver top-tier teaching via the internet to thousands or even millions of students around the world,” noted Mr Richard Hatter, General Manager of Hotel ICON.
MicroMasters is an important modular and flexible credential for the digital age, and promises to serve as academic currency in a continuous, lifelong-learning world. The programme also supports an inverted admissions process, allowing learners everywhere to try Master’s level course work from the SHTM before committing significant time and money toward applying for and enrolling in a Master’s degree.
“We are honoured to work with the SHTM to launch MicroMasters, marking a new and exciting step toward furthering our shared mission to expand access to high-quality education,” said Anant Agarwal, CEO at edX and professor at MIT. “MicroMasters provides the next level of innovation in learning and meets the needs of learners, universities and employers in today’s on-demand, tech-driven-world.” For more details and enrollment, please visit: https://www.edx.org/micromasters/hkpolyxinternational-hospitality-management.
