Online Bachelor of Arts in Global Sustainable Tourism Florida International University

Worldwide, the impacts of tourism on the natural environment are under increasing scrutiny and demand for restraint and solutions. The World Tourism Organization, as well as the World Travel and Tourism Council, have explicitly called for increased focus on sustainability when creating policies and managing global tourism. There is an urgent need to protect the resources that attract tourists to destinations around the globe. The recent pandemic has caused the world to notice that destinations such as Venice and Amsterdam if allowed to recover from over-tourism through more sustainable practices, can and will do so. In our state of Florida, there is increased pressure to protect our natural attractions which include the state’s 825 miles of beaches, the Everglades, the Keys, coral reefs, springs, and mangroves. Other alarming events such as red tide, climate change, and sea-level rise, and extreme storm events have all raised awareness of the vulnerability of the tourism industry both locally and abroad.

This innovative degree recognizes the importance of sustainable operations in the tourism industry today, its impacts on the planet, and the increasing demand for a more sustainable approach to managing hospitality and tourism businesses. This unique, fully-online program, offered through the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, is an interdisciplinary collaboration with the Department of Earth and Environment of the College of Arts, Science, and Education and features a blended curriculum composed of the most-relevant existing courses from each department as well as a host of new courses specifically designed for the degree.

Students pursuing this degree will acquire the knowledge and tools needed to become industry leaders in the management of sustainable tourism standards that will help protect the world’s natural and cultural resources and maintain them intact for future generations. Students will learn to apply these skills and lead through advocacy, conservation, and community partnerships. Topics covered include socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural impacts with respect to responsible business practices and local governance. In a nutshell, the overarching thrust of the program is to teach students how tourism can adapt to and mitigate climate change and become a key sector in the transition to low-carbon economies.

Highlights

• Fully Online Degree
• Every online student is paired with a success coach
• Program starts: Fall, Spring, Summer
• Become part of an exceptional community and make the most of your education. Join the Honors College.
• This program grants you access to Career Engage and associated scholarships.

Why Apply?

Major American hospitality and tourism corporations including Hilton, Carnival, and others, have aligned their sustainability programs with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making 2030-target commitments to reduce their environmental footprints and setting social-impact goals. Other global brands like Inter-Continental, Air France/KLM and Sodexho rigorously compete for highest positioning on the annual Dow Jones ranking of SP 600 corporations for their environmental sustainability leadership. The need to balance environmental protection with human recreational use has become urgent and requires a workforce that is trained in understanding the business of tourism as well as how to think long-term to conserve spectacular natural places for future generations of tourists.

The primary purpose of the B.A. in Global Sustainable Tourism degree program is to provide the global hospitality and tourism industry with sustainability-oriented managers who will know how to balance travelers’ desires for memorable experiences while protecting nature, culture, communities, and the planet. Students will emerge prepared to work in promoting transitions to sustainability in tourism for business, government and non-governmental organizations anywhere in the world.

Partnerships

The Chaplin School, named for Mr. Harvey Chaplin, Chairman of Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits, annually co-produces the Food Network and Cooking Channel South Beach Wine and Food Festival (SobeWFF) along with Southern Glazer’s. The event, largest of its kind in the U.S., generates experiential learning opportunities for as many as 1200 FIU students each year. Additionally, the Chaplin School has developed many other long-standing relationships with major global hospitality and tourism corporations such as Carnival Cruise Lines (funder of the Carnival Gold Scholars and the Carnival Student Center on our BBC campus) and Marriott International (namesake for the school’s Marriott Tianjin China Program), along with some well-known names among food and beverage producers to the industry such as Bacardi, Badia and Quirch that have greatly contributed to the school’s Restaurant, Culinary and Spirits Management programs. Global corporate partners have been central to efforts to expand funding opportunities to students, serve the local community, provide employment experiences, and deliver the resources needed to advance the quality of education and service provided to students and alumni. Building meaningful relationships with industry organizations has been an integral part of the Chaplin School’s highly-successful existence, earning the #1 ranking for U.S. online hospitality and tourism programs for six years in a row.

A total of 120 credits are required for the Bachelor of Arts including 60 program credits and 60 credits to meet University Core Curriculum requirements. The 60 program credits include:

Lower Division Required Courses (5 credit hours)

• HFT 1102 - Foundations and Pathways in Global Sustainable Tourism - 1
• EVR 1001 - Introduction to Environmental Science - 3
• EVR 1001L - Introduction to Environmental Science - Lab - 1

Upper Division Required Courses (34 credit hours)

• HFT 3705 - Global Travel and Tourism Development - 3
• HFT 3103 - Global Sustainable Tourism Development in Natural Resources - 3
• EVR 3013 - Ecology of South Florida - 3
• EVR 3013L - Ecology of South Florida - Lab - 1
• HFT 3703 - Adventure and Ecotourism (GL) - 3
• HFT 3793 - Sustainability and Well-being in Global Societies – 3
• HFT 4561 - Destination Marketing and Management for Cultural Heritage – 3
• EVR 4440 - Beaches and Tourism – 3
• EVR 4410 - Global Perspectives on Water & Environment - 3
• EVR 4112 - Climate Change Policy - 3
• EVR 4321 - Sustainable Resource Development – 3
• HFT 4737 - Senior Seminar in Global Sustainable Tourism – 3

Electives (21 credit hours required)

In addition to the above requirements, students must complete a minimum of 21 elective credits from the following list of courses. Substitutions are permitted only with the approval of a Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management academic advisor.

• EVR 1017 – Climate Change, the Global Environment and Society - 3
• IDS 1231 - Local and Regional Sustainability - 3
• ECO 2023 - Principles of Microeconomics - 3
• STA 2023 - Statistics for Business and Economics* - 3

*Subsequent credit for STA 2122 or STA 3111 will not be granted. Prerequisite: High school algebra.

• HFT 3033 - Sustainability Team Management - 3
• HFT 3073 - Social Responsibility in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry (GL) - 3
• MMC 3303 - Global Media and Society (GL) - 3
• MMC 3650 - Media and Sustainability - 3
• HFT 3692 - Ocean and Coastal Law for the Hospitality Industry - 3
• HFT 3930 - Intensive Pod in Hospitality Industry* – 1

* Course may be repeated up to three times with a change in content.

• EVR 3931 - Topics in Environmental Studies*– 3

*Course may be repeated with a change in content.

• EVR 4274 - Sustainable Agriculture (GL) - 3
• HFT 4708 - Coastal and Marine Tourism - 3
• EVR 4905 - Research and Independent Study* - variable credit hours

*with permission of instructor

• EVR 4941 - Internship* – 3

or

• HFT 4945 – Advanced Internship in Hospitality/Tourism Management* – 3

*Students may choose either EVR 4941 or HFT 4945 for their internship experience with approval of the Faculty internship supervisor (for EVR 4941) or Academic Advisor (for HFT 4945).

• HFT 4955 - Study Abroad: Global Sustainable Tourism - 3

Job Outlook

• A Green Lodging Trends survey (2019) indicated that 65 percent of hospitality and tourism businesses employ a dedicated sustainability coordinator
• 90 percent are conducting staff training in sustainability either with their own staff or through hired consultants and training experts.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports annual salaries in 2019 averaged $71,360 per year for sustainability professionals, although not specific to the sustainable tourism segment, with a projected growth of 8 percent (double the national average) for specialists.
• Businesses include:
  • tour companies
  • hotels, airlines
  • cruise lines
  • convention and visitors bureaus
  • theme parks
  • festivals
  • destination management companies
  • transportation companies, among others