The Master of Arts in Tourism Business Administration is designed to respond to the need for qualified professionals who can administer tourism businesses and address strategic and operational challenges in Ethiopia’s tourism sector. The program combines tourism-focused knowledge with business administration perspectives and is intended to strengthen professional capacity for tourism development.

The program is offered by the Department of Tourism & Hotel Management under the College of Business and Economics. It is designed for regular, extension, summer and distance modalities and emphasizes tourism management, marketing, operations, project management, sustainability, research and innovation.

• Produce highly qualified human resources who can contribute to Ethiopian tourism development.
• Develop capacity to manage tourism destinations, tourism projects and tourism products.
• Strengthen the ability to manage financial and non-financial aspects of tourism businesses and destinations.
• Promote sustainable tourism development with economic, environmental and socio-cultural considerations.
• Develop research, problem-solving, teaching, training and consultancy capabilities in tourism.

Coursework is organized into three modules. The regular program is structured over two academic years: coursework in the first year, followed by tourism project work and thesis development/completion in the second year.

Year 1 – Semester I

Year 1 – Semester II

Year 2 – Semester I / Thesis

Module 1 • Research and Measurement in Tourism — Research methodology, tourism economics and thesis work; emphasizes qualitative and quantitative research, tourism impact measurement, data analysis and scientific reporting.

Module 2 • Tourism Management and Marketing — Advanced tourism marketing, event management, product development and innovation, strategic leadership and financial management from tourism business perspectives.

Module 3 • Tourism Operation and Project Management — Tourism operations, heritage management and valuation, sustainable tourism and tourism project management.

The program uses lectures with active participation, demonstrations, group discussions, individual and group assignments, seminars, field visits, role-play, case studies, presentations, term papers, projects and ICT-supported learning.

Assessment may include article/book/chapter reviews, project work, seminars, case analysis, mini research/term papers, field work and presentations, together with course examinations. The thesis is evaluated according to the University’s academic procedures, including internal and external examination.

• Applicants must hold a relevant Bachelor’s degree from a recognized/accredited institution.

• Minimum CGPA is according to Bahir Dar University Senate legislation or its equivalent.

• Relevant backgrounds include Tourism Management, Tourism Development, Hotel Management, Hospitality Management, Tourism Marketing, Heritage Management, Management, Marketing Management, Logistics and Supply Chain/Purchasing Management, Business Education, Accounting and Finance, Public Administration, Economics, Social Studies and other related fields.

• Applicants from non-tourism/hospitality backgrounds may be required to take bridge courses and obtain at least C in the required courses.

• Entrance examination: applicants must achieve at least 50% to pass; the examination may be written, oral or another approved form.

• If department-specific selection criteria are applied, the curriculum indicates 75% entrance examination and 25% undergraduate CGPA.

Bridge Courses for Non-Tourism/Hospitality Entrants

• Regular study: 2 academic years (4 semesters).
• Extension, summer and distance modalities: 3 years.
• Coursework: 33 credit hours; thesis: 6 credit hours.
• Graduation requires the academic standards specified in the Bahir Dar University Senate legislation, including the required CGPA, allowable grades and successful completion of the thesis.