Ph.D. in Hospitality and Tourism Management : Woosong University

Academics

Ph.D. in Hospitality and Tourism Management

In recent years, hospitality and tourism has gone through major shifts in ideology and practice. This has created many new avenues of research in this field. The Ph.D. in Hospitality & Tourism Management is a full-time program and is suitable for those wishing to undertake an academic or a research focused career in the field of Hospitality and Tourism. Our program includes a strong element of statistics and research design to prepare graduates for a career in academics.

Overview

IntakeSpring & Fall
Duration3 years
Credits36
TypeFull-time
FormatOffline
LanguageEnglish

What makes our program unique?

Our prestigious international faculty provide lectures rich in terms of research courses, statistics, data mining, as well as courses related to the field of study, covering the current issues of tourism, the lodging industry, Human Resources, and managing & marketing tourism destinations. You can study any area of interest that applies to hospitality and tourism and we provide the time and support for students to delve into their research.

Structure

The Ph.D. program is divided into three parts: Core, Major Required, and Major Elective. Students are required to complete 36 credit hours, a comprehensive exam, and a thesis to graduate. See the credit breakdown below.

Credit Classification	Credit Hours
Core	15
Major Required	6
Major Elective	6
General Elective*	9
Thesis

* General Elective credits are any additional credits that can be earned in any category (Core, Major Required, or Major Elective)

Students are required to achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to graduate.

2022 Curriculum

Core Courses

Study Area	Course	Credits
Core	Business Management ▼ Course Description Everything students need to know to develop their ‘management sense’ and be successful Fundamentals of Management covers the essential concepts of management by providing a solid foundation for understanding the key issues facing managers and organizations. The subject maintains a focus on learning and applying management theories, while now also highlighting opportunities to develop the skills in high demand by today’s employers. Fundamentals of Management offers an easy-to-understand, straightforward, and realistic approach to what works for managers and what doesn’t with the ultimate goal to help students be successful in their careers. Integrates and builds upon skills learned in previous Business Management courses. Students learn about strategic planning and decision making, leadership and motivation in the workplace, human resources, and various best practices of successful management.	3
	Statistics and Decision Making ▼ Course Description In this course, students will learn the language of uncertainty and the statistical methods for making inferences and decisions on the basis of limited information and data. The course will build on concepts covered in the first part and move to prediction and inferential statistics. In particular, you will learn about hypothesis testing, testing for independent and paired samples, simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression enabling you to make informed predictions.	3
	Survey Research Methods & Analysis ▼ Course Description This course introduces the student to a set of principles of survey design that are the basis of standard practices in the field. The course exposes the student to research literatures that use both observational and experimental methods to test key hypotheses about the nature of human behavior that affect the quality of survey data. It will also present important statistical concepts and techniques in sample design, execution, and estimation, as well as models of behavior describing errors in responding to survey questions. Both social science and statistical concepts will be presented.	3
	Managerial Economics ▼ Course Description Course describes organization, personnel, finance, accounting, and marketing of business administration from the viewpoint of economics. It focuses on the business type, the behavior of the organization members, the economic situation and the enterprise side of the theory of economics. The relationship between the economy and corporate organizations will be specifically covered.	3
	Management Research Capstone Project ▼ Course Description The capstone course is a method of summative evaluation in which the student is given an opportunity to demonstrate integrated knowledge and growth in the major. The course will assess a student’s cognitive and intellectual growth in their major and also the overall academic learning experience. The course will provide an opportunity for students to integrate and applied learning in a comprehensive manner. The capstone provides an opportunity for students to integrate and apply knowledge from their academic studies; through the comprehensive evaluation of core curriculum of all learned fields.	3
	Research Methods in Social Science ▼ Course Description This course is designed to set up a specific research field in the area of business administration that student will study for the thesis paper. The focus of this course is, also, to assist students in developing creativity and analyzing cost of business decision making. It cultivates the ability to combine the theoretical knowledge and practical application.	3
	Thesis Research I ▼ Course Description This course aims at providing the basic scientific knowledge to conduct the tourism and hospitality research by giving the exposure on various management research tools and their applications. It also focuses on the skill of writing the research thesis in the field. Conduct a systematic and scientific research in the area of business & management. Understand the business research process and apply in practice to solve business problem. Develop theoretical framework and design questionnaire for survey. Learn how to review the past literatures and understand the practical difficulties or limitation of scientific research.	3

Major Required

Study Area	Course	Credits
Major Required	Introduction to Economics ▼ Course Description This course deals with economic theory, econometric methodology, mathematical economics and the latest economic theory which are the basis of understanding of business administration.	3
	Basic Statistics ▼ Course Description Statistics is a basic tool for quantitative research methods in many research areas and is also being used in real-world applications. This course covers (1) descriptive statistics which deal with describing data along with data visualization, (2) probability distribution including binomial distribution, normal distribution, (3) Inferential statistics which is about how to make statistical inference, hypothesis testing, and multivariate analysis such as ANOVA, Regression. This course is designed to focus on the application of statistical concepts rather than understanding underlying mathematics, and will utilize SW applications such as Excel / SPSS to solve tasks and will have brief touch on using R programming as well.	3
	Human Resource Management ▼ Course Description Human resource management is a part or sub-process of management that manages organizational human resources. Human resource management starts from planning and securing of human resources, explores all functions and activities for labor relations, from efficient utilization, maintenance, preservation, compensation and development of human resources. This course covers the management functions of all working managers working in various levels of management, and how to manage human resources as a management process that achieves organizational goals.	3
	Accounting & Decision Making ▼ Course Description Students examine the form and content of financial statements and the methods used to account for assets, liabilities, capital, cash flows and other information reported in conformity with accounting principles. While pure financial accounting focuses on the external interpretation of corporate financial reporting, this course includes internal reporting for managerial decision-making. Management planning and control techniques, basic cost analysis, capital budgeting and activity-based management are encompassed in the course.	3
	Operations Management ▼ Course Description This course is an introduction to the concepts, principles, problems, and practices of operations management. Emphasis is on managerial processes for effective operations in both goods-producing and service-rendering organization. Topics include operations strategy, process design, capacity planning, facilities location and design, forecasting, production scheduling, inventory control, quality assurance, and project management. The topics are integrated using a systems model of the operations of an organization.	3
	Financial Management ▼ Course Description The main content of this course is to systematically study theories that guide corporate financial management behavior and to understand the overall financial situation and future directions. How to raise and operate funds in the management of modern enterprises is a very important part of the company's growth and survival. In this lecture, students first study the main contents discussed in corporate finance and study the basic logic and theoretical basis of major financial theory applied to corporate finance. Then, by examining the cases of realistic application of major financial theory, students will combine theory and practice and cultivate practical application ability. Practical and concrete learning and case analysis on corporate investment decisions, capital procurement decisions, and risk management will be systematized.	3
	Project Management ▼ Course Description This course provides a comprehensive examination of the psychological, social, and cultural factors that underlie expectations, preferences, and judged effectiveness of leadership practices and styles in organizations and work groups in the major cultural regions of the world. The course will focus on the development of the students’ ability to think critically about the complexity of the direct, indirect, and interactive impact of these factors on leading within multinational organizations that operate worldwide.	3
	Methods for Causal Inference in Management Studies ▼ Course Description This course offers a rigorous mathematical survey of causal inference. Inferences about causation are of great importance in science, medicine, policy, and business. This course provides an introduction to the statistical literature on causal inference that has emerged in the last 35-40 years and that has revolutionized the way in which statisticians and applied researchers in many disciplines use data to make inferences about causal relationships.	3
	Introduction to Management Theories ▼ Course Description This course introduces a few popular theories in management fields. The topic includes theories that help managers make better decisions, such as resource-based view, supply chain, quality, etc. The goal of this course is to familiarize doctoral students with reading and understanding academic journal papers in management. Participants will have the opportunity to lead a discussion on a subset of the papers covered in class; as well as present their own research proposal on a topic of interest to them.	3
	Multivariate Analysis ▼ Course Description This course is designed to deliver students with a conceptual knowledge of the basic concepts underlying the most crucial multivariate techniques, with an overview of actual application in various sectors. The subject will address both the underlying statistical methods and mathematical models for problems of applications in different fields. The primary goal of this course is to support students in learning to think deeply and critically about establishing research problems comprised multiple dependent variables, and how to appropriately analyze multivariate data.	3
	Special Topics in the Industry4.0 ▼ Course Description Students will meet a wide range of knowledge, discussion, better understanding how emerging technology trends in this fourth industrial revolution and the digital transformation period from the perspective of its potential applications, and digital economy. Students will explore the full spectrum of conceptual knowledge and understanding of how digital technologies shaping and contributing to our economic growth, innovation, and social well-being in this digital era. This course covers the most recent emerging digital and ICT technology concepts, recent research and development and academic research papers.	3
	Strategy, Institutional Environment, & Innovation ▼ Course Description This course examines the relationship between the strategies for innovation of multinational corporations (MNCs) and those of national governments in a global economic environment. A key theme is the relationship between innovation and competitiveness at the firm and country levels, and the interaction between these two levels since the majority of technological capacity is held by MNCs while government policies affect the extent and pattern of innovations within national boundaries. Attention is given to the distinctiveness of national patterns of technological specialization, how these reflect the characteristics of local policies and institutions, and how they have been changing over time. The international location of technological activity is considered from the national perspective of the effects of globalization on catching up (or falling behind); from the cross-border perspective of MNCs; and from the local perspective of regional systems of innovation and localized clusters, and the interactions in knowledge creation between MNC subsidiaries and indigenous firms. The course concludes with an evaluation of how innovation policies are being gradually reshaped in the current context of the globalization of a knowledge-driven economy.	3
	Entrepreneurship ▼ Course Description This course prepares participants for a future career as entrepreneurs, either as founders of new businesses or within already established companies. It is designed to give participants practical insights into those business aspects that are particularly important during a firm's early development phases, and to make them more effective in managing and growing the start-up firm. It also provides the cornerstones for successfully launching and implementing entrepreneurial projects within already established organizations.	3
	Teaching, Publishing, & Dissemination of Knowledge ▼ Course Description Dissemination of research findings is integral to the research process. Know-how and personal experience in handling all stages and aspects of the dissemination process increase the probability that research will be disseminated, received, understood, and eventually used. The scientific journal article is by far the most common way of conveying research to a wider audience, also including the PhD thesis, and most of the course will therefore be devoted to the journal article. All aspects of the publishing process, from the forming of hypothesis or research questions, the choice of journal, structure of the article, writing style, referencing, submitting, how to respond to reviewers, how to deal with editors will be covered.	3
	An Introduction to Artificial Intelligence ▼ Course Description This course uses a hands-on approach to introduce Students to impend revolution in artificial intelligence (AI) and its application, one that has the potential to change one of the key technologies under fourth industrial revolution in the information era. Students will explore the full spectrum of theoretical concepts of artificial intelligence, and its potential use cases in the industry and businesses. Moreover, latest AI related research methodologies of real-world use cases will discuss flip-learning setting.	3
	Thesis Research II ▼ Course Description This course aims to develop the student to be capable in academic research, including literature review, and writing the outcome of research. It may include examining the quantitative and qualitative approaches to scientific research methods. Fundamentals of academic research, research planning, and essentials of writing research papers are covered. Concentrating on the current research methods the course ensures that the students become advanced on their subject areas and academically equipped to further their research project and convey its outcome.	3

Major Elective Courses

Study Area	Course	Credits
Major Electives	Current Issues in Tourism and Hospitality ▼ Course Description This course is designed to enable the students to gain essential knowledge on current issues in tourism applications. New concepts, debates, business side of tourism and principles are the main discussion points so as to understand the implications of current issues in the tourism industry. To deepen student learning, case studies will be integrated into the topics covered as appropriate. This course is updated yearly according to the current issues in tourism.	3
	Management Strategy of Company ▼ Course Description Strategic Management for organization is an essential for both intermediate and advanced learners aspiring to build their knowledge related to the theories and perspectives on the topic. The subject provides critical and analytical insights on contemporary theoretical models and management practices while enhancing the learning process through worked examples and cases applied to the companies or organizations setting. This subject highlights the rapidly changing socio-economic and political global landscape and addresses the cultural and socio-economic complexities of hospitality and tourism organizations in the new era.	3
	Tourism Destination Management ▼ Course Description This Ph.D. course covers the management and marketing principles for tourism destinations, with a focus on branding, positioning and economic issues. Consideration is given to the ongoing fluctuations, future changes and current trends affecting directly or indirectly tourism destinations worldwide.	3
	Marketing and Branding in Tourism and Hospitality Industry ▼ Course Description The marketing of tourist destinations requires continuous strategic planning and decision making. The Branding of Tourist Destinations: Theoretical and Empirical Insights provides researchers and practitioners with an in-depth understanding of different tourism products, marketing strategies and destination branding tactics, as well as useful insights into sustainable and responsible tourism practices. The authors present contemporary conceptual discussions and empirical studies on several aspects of destination branding that help contextualize the attractiveness of a range of tourist destinations. In particular, they explore how tourism marketers, including destination management organizations (DMOs), formulate strategies and tactics to attract prospective visitors. This book also sheds light on the latest industry developments in travel, tourism, hospitality and events indifferent contexts around the world.	3
	Lodging Management – Professional Seminars ▼ Course Description This course will be presented as a compilation of seminars presented by hospitality professionals. It will cover multiple areas related to hotel and lodging management.	3
	Research Methods in Tourism and Hospitality Qualitative Analysis I ▼ Course Description The main purpose of the Research Methods is to introduce students to quantitative and qualitative methods for conducting meaningful inquiry and research.	3
	Research Methods in Tourism and Hospitality Quantitative Analysis II ▼ Course Description Econometric models and advanced research methods.	3
	Tourism and Sustainable Development ▼ Course Description The course discusses the evolution of the concept and its theoretical roots. It focuses on issues related to resource use, economic development, ‘green’ business development, climate change, consumer psychology, and community enhancement practices.	3

* Only applicable for thesis option candidates

General Electives

General Elective credits are any additional credits that can be earned in any category (Core, Major Required, or Major Elective)

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