Hospitality

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

The Hospitality programme has been developed taking into account the best international practices and the requirements of the modern labour market to the specialists in the field of hospitality and tourism. The best international practices were taken into account while compiling the programme.

The programme was presented at the Business Council of the School of Liberal Arts, which includes foreign and Kazakhstani employers and specialists in the field of tourism and hospitality. The educational programme is formed on the basis of the requirements of the State Education Standards of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the requirements of professional standards, the modern market and employers.

The programme is presented in two forms of study, full-time (4 years) and shortened (3 years).

To complete the programme in 4 years, a student must complete 248 academic credits. This form of study is provided for those entering the programme on the basis of secondary education. Post-college students (on the basis of secondary vocational education) have the opportunity to complete their studies in 3 years, having mastered 192 academic credits.

All students of the programme have the opportunity to create their own individual study plan. A detailed course programme is available in the catalogue of the School of Liberal Arts.

The main advantages of the Hospitality programme are:

1) Close co-operation and partnership with representatives of the hospitality industry, namely major business companies, private and national companies specialising in the hospitality industry. The co-operation allows to offer students a wide base of practice in the best local and international companies.

2) Providing students with the opportunity to choose a specialisation that will allow them to expand their employment horizons. The School of Liberal Arts offers the following supplementary specialisations (minors):

1. Service Management/Dual Programme in partnership with St Regis Astana Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Astana, Sheraton Astana up to 6 months in length.
2. Hotel and Restaurant Business;
3. Marketing in Tourism and Hospitality;
4. Certification internship programmes of 3 months (such as MNU – Hilton Astana, MNU -Sheraton-Astana, etc.

3) Double degree programme with such universities as: Swiss Hotel Management School, Hotel Institute Montreux (according to QS world university ranking they are among the top 10 universities in the world in the field of Hospitality), La Rochelle Tourism and Hospitality School, Excelia group.

4) Students implement business projects as part of their studies. One of the functioning businesses is a student travel company aimed at the development of domestic tourism among young people.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME

Aim of the programme: preparation of highly qualified personnel in the hospitality sector with expertise in service standards, management of hotel and restaurant enterprises. Creating competitive personnel potential for the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the hospitality sector, both in the local and international markets.

About the programme (description):

The Bachelor’s programme in Hospitality with a focus on hotel management and operations aims to develop a new generation of multi-lingual hospitality professionals, aware of all aspects of hospitality standards. In addition, the programme aims to educate hospitality industry leaders ready to work in the multicultural environment of the hospitality industry.

Given the range of courses available during the programme, a student can take up to 2 minors throughout the programme and complete the MNU – Hilton Astana, MNU – Sheraton Astana and other certificate programmes and receive a certificate of completion. The student also has the opportunity to study certain profile disciplines within the framework of the dual training programme developed together with the partner luxury hotels St Regis Astana, The Ritz-Carlton Astana, as well as Sheraton Astana, where the advantage is to study the standards and processes of work in the hospitality industry, gaining practical knowledge and skills needed in future work. In addition, graduates will be able to study one additional foreign language (Chinese/Spanish/Italian/German/French) as part of the programme, making them sufficiently competitive candidates for becoming future field professionals.
The educational programme is formed on the basis of the requirements of the State Education Standards of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the requirements of professional standards, the modern market and employers.

Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this programme, graduates will be able to:
– apply knowledge of history, languages in local and multicultural environment
– master and apply the skills of effective communication with guests, partners, suppliers in a multicultural environment, apply teamwork skills;
– analyse cases containing problematic issues in hospitality and services and implement the principles of project management in solving problems of operational, organisational and managerial nature; be creative and flexible in making decisions on working issues;
– identify and evaluate service quality problems in the management processes of hotels and restaurants and other hospitality industry enterprises;
– apply standard safety procedures and service standards, as well as solve organisational issues in the operations of catering and food and beverage departments in hotels and other hotel departments;
– plan, organise and conduct local and international events, as well as launch business projects, applying management, marketing and financial strategies;
– master hotel room service standards, perform the necessary services for room service for guests and operate the necessary specialised equipment;
– develop documents based on the principle of standard operating processes;
– apply qualitative and quantitative research methods in the hospitality industry;
– work with different types of operating systems used in large hotel chains and restaurants;
– utilise best practices of hospitality industry in developing operational and strategic plans;
– launch and run business projects in the hospitality industry (hotel and restaurant management).