International Hotel Management University of Galway

Overview

Students who choose this  International Hotel Management programme at University of Galway  will build a strong foundation in business strategy, leadership, and cultural awareness, with real-world experience woven throughout the programme. In your final year, you’ll specialise in a business area that aligns with your career goals. With a 100% graduate employment rate, powerful industry connections, and a global alumni network, this degree opens the door to a world of exciting career opportunities.

Experience a business degree with a difference - where practical learning meets global opportunity. From day one, you’ll develop real-world skills through hands-on hospitality training, rotating across key operational departments. A full year of paid placement in top Irish and European hotels builds your industry expertise. Back on campus, you’ll deepen your business knowledge with modules in management, finance, marketing, and HR, while continuing language development. In your final academic year, you’ll choose a business discipline to major in and study at our Galway campus, where all final-year teaching takes place. Your journey concludes with an international trainee management placement, connecting you with leading global hotel brands. This is more than a degree- it’s a career-focused education that prepares you for leadership in hospitality and the wider world of international business.

Year 1: Study at Shannon College of Hotel Management

Professional, practical training forms an essential part of the Year 1 studies as students rotate between seven professional classes every two/three weeks. Business modules such as Financial & Management Accounting, Marketing and Quantitative Methods are also introduced. Students study their second language (French, German, Spanish, English or Intercultural Communication).

Year 2: Professional Operative Work Placement

The Year 2 work placement is a 12 month paid professional operative work placement in leading European/Irish hotels to reinforce the training in Year 1 and improve knowledge of industry practice and systems.

Year 3: Study at Shannon College of Hotel Management

In Year 3, students advance from their practical training and their introduction to business in Year 1 and instead focus on modules improving their industry knowledge, such as Rooms Division Management, and Principles of Management. Their language modules are continued and more advanced business modules such as Business Finance and Human Resource Management are studied along with prerequisite modules in preparation for the final year of the BComm degree at University of Galway.

Year 4: Study on the Galway Campus

Students transfer to the Galway campus for their final year of the BComm and study four core modules and also specialize in a business discipline. The business disciplines offered are Accounting & Performance Measurement, Digital Business & Analytics, Economics & Public Policy, Enterprise, Finance, Human Resource Management, International Business, Management, Marketing Management and BComm Language.

End of Year 4: Trainee Management Work Placement

At the end of Year 4, students commence a paid trainee management work placement for at least 9 months until graduation (normally a 12-18 month contract). International hotel companies visit Shannon College to recruit students onto management development programmes or as direct hires in properties around the world. At the end of the work placement, students complete a Viva Voce examination before graduating.

Careers

Our BComm (International Hotel Management) launches graduates into exciting careers across the globe— from five-star properties in Europe to luxury resorts in Asia and the Americas. With a 100 % employment record, our alumni step straight into management-track roles with leading global hotel companies. Many begin on paid trainee-management programmes and quickly progress into leadership positions in operations, revenue, and strategy. If you want a business degree that pairs real-world experience with international mobility, this is the perfect degree for you.

Our BComm (International Hotel Management) equips you with the sought-after skills today’s hospitality and business employers desire:

Hands-on leadership - The paid work placements built into the degree programme hone decision-making under real operational pressure.

Global business acumen - finance, marketing, HR, and strategic management tailored to hospitality.

Revenue & data analytics - mastering the metrics that drive profitability and asset value.

Multilingual & intercultural fluency - study of French, German, Spanish, English or Intercultural Communication for global opportunities.

Entrepreneurial mindset - modules in Strategy, Revenue and Entrepreneurship prepare you to spot and seize new market opportunities.

Professional resilience - versatility and problem-solving built through rotating roles and diverse international settings.

Whether you aim to become a general manager, director of finance open your own business or consult on global hospitality projects the BComm (International Hotel Management) gives you the expertise and industry connections to build a successful, worldwide career.