Master of Science in Hospitality Business Leadership
A complete hospitality leadership toolbox
Duration: 1.5 years, 2 academic semesters + 6-month internship with Applied Research Report or Business Research Project
Intakes: Spring and Fall
Location: Bulle campus, Switzerland or London campus, UK
Credits: ECTS* 90 / US 45
*European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System
The Master’s in Hospitality Business Leadership delivers exceptionally detailed business knowledge, while also developing your soft skills and managerial competencies. As a graduate, you will be able to diversify into the hospitality function of your choosing, including luxury hotels and retail, real estate or consulting. Study in Switzerland or the UK, with campus transfers available for those who wish to experience both countries.
Hospitality Immersion Program
4 weeks (optional)
Glion
Semester 1
Bulle or London
+ Business Field Trip
Semester 2
Bulle or London
Semester 3
6-month internship with Applied Research Report or Business Research Project
Program highlights
Become a five-star hospitality leader with enhanced industry knowledge, soft skills and managerial competencies
Diversify into different functions in hospitality, including luxury hotels and retail, real estate and consulting
Real-world experience during your internship or Business Research Project
Immersive experience with networking opportunities during field trip, company visit and exclusive visits from industry experts
Master the art of hospitality
You will master the art of hospitality through practical, hands-on learning then, should you choose, put your knowledge to the test with an internship at one of the world’s leading organizations. Learn to manage key departments and functions in a hospitality business, conduct research and analyze data.
Business field trip
Featuring visits to leading hotels and other inspirational hospitality businesses, the field trip forms part of your academic curriculum. Always a program highlight, it will enable you to experience the world of premium hospitality close-up, gathering knowledge and insights from expert professionals and industry leaders.
Get closer to the industry
All Glion Master’s degrees offer highly applied learning grounded in the real world that awaits you after graduation. For this Master’s, an immersive company visit provides a perfect opportunity to connect with the industry. In addition, our program of guest lectures and specialized workshops brings the industry directly to campus.
Program details
Semester 1
HOSPITALITY IMMERSION PROGRAM
- Optional 4-week program
DRIVING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Striving Towards Excellence
- Managing Hospitality and Luxury Operations
- Managerial Accounting and Financial Analysis
- Leadership Across Cultures
- Critical Research Methodology in Business I
Enhancing Sales and Revenues
- Marketing Management for Hospitality Leaders
- Revenue Management and Pricing Strategy
- Sales and Distribution Strategies in Hospitality
- Leading Digital Strategy
+ Business Field Trip
Semester 2
LEADING STRATEGIES TO SUCCESS
Developing Effective Strategies
- Critical Research Methodology in Business II
- Luxury Brand Management
- Advanced Revenue Optimization in Hospitality
- Hospitality Corporate Finance
- People Management in a Global Environment
Embracing the Transformation
- Leadership in Action
- Hotel Asset Management and Concept Creation
- Innovative Food and Beverage Strategies
- Sustainability Essentials for Hospitality Managers
- Crisis Management in a Volatile Environment
+ Company visits
Meet some of your expert faculty
Dr. Marija Lazarev
Program Director
Experience: Dr. Lazarev is a hugely experienced academic, who has taught tourism-related subjects and mentored PhD, Master’s and Bachelor’s dissertations at top higher educational institutions, business schools and universities in Switzerland and France since 2006. Marija also boasts extensive research interests and has been published in academic and professional journals and collaborated on book chapters, as well as presenting at many international conferences.
Edouard Louapre
Specialist subject: Leadership in Action
Experience: With a wealth of hospitality industry experience gained at brands such as the Dorchester Collection, Radisson Blu, and Beau Rivage Palace and a long track history of academic teaching for Universities based in the USA, the UK, and in Switzerland, Edouard has all the right attributes to inspire students. Alongside his academic career, Edouard also holds the position of Chief Executive Officer at a real estate company based in Sion, Switzerland.
Pia Huh
Specialist subject: Managerial Accounting and Financial Analysis / Hotel Asset Management and Concept Creation
Experience: Pia joined Glion in 1999, and has taught courses in hospitality real estate finance, property asset management, corporate finance, portfolio management, and management finance and accounting. She holds an MSc in Banking and Finance, an MPS in Hospitality Real Estate Finance.
Dr. John Kawalek
Specialist subject: Critical Research Methodologies in Business I & II
Experience: John Kawalek is a Digital Transformation consultant using Systems Thinking. As a senior academic, he delivers Master’s level learning in Digital Transformation, Data Analytics, Blockchain, Project Management, Business Research Methods and Systems Theory. Most recently, John has been working as a Senior Industry Adviser at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He is additionally Managing Director of CrowditBuildit.
Jean-Marc Levrat
Specialist subject: People Management in a Global Environment
Experience: Jean-Marc has over 25 years of combined expertise in academia and the hospitality industry and has embraced professional and cultural diversities across three continents.
He sharpened his leadership skills in Canada as the Director of Operations for a network of 27 restaurant outlets, overseeing the activities of more than 1,000 employees.
Giovanni Manfredini
Specialist subject: Marketing Management for Hospitality Leaders
Experience: Giovanni has had over 30 years of experience in a range of industries, taking on managerial roles at organizations in Europe, Russia and the USA. Giovanni holds an MBA in Marketing, Digital Communication and Sales Management.
Anu Laukkala
Specialist subject: Sales and Distribution Strategies in Hospitality
Experience: A graduate from Aalto University (Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration), she holds both an MBA in Digital Technology Management and an MSc in Marketing. She has a teacher’s pedagogical qualification from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland. Before entering the world of academia, she worked at Total Quality Management and consulted for public sector procurement and supply chain management.
Dr. Umair Khan
Specialist subject: Crisis Management in a Volatile Environment
Experience: Umair Khan is a leadership and strategy educator and researcher with PhD in Management who also works with large organizations on their cultural transformation and talent and leadership development journeys. Holder of a BSc and Master’s in Engineering as well as a Master’s in Research, Umair has extensive experience teaching at higher educational institutions in Europe, including at EHL and the University of Lausanne. Umair specializes in the study of how executive personality affects strategic decisions in businesses.
Business Field Trip
Every full-time Master’s program incorporates an immersive field trip that offers unique access to key industry players representative of your study topic.
These bespoke, multi-day experiences have packed itineraries featuring company visits, presentations by senior executives, plus lunches and dinners at which you can experience the best of local gastronomy while getting to know fellow students in more relaxed circumstances.
Below, discover our recent field trip to Barcelona.
Recent field trip to Barcelona
Learn
Integrate theoretical and experiential education.
Network
Meet industry leaders grow your professional network.
Connect
Discover new trends in the industry and enrich your knowledge.
Visited and stayed at the Nobu Hotel Barcelona
Met the Director of Sales, Sofia Barcelona: Service Excellence in MICE & Sales
Vineyard visit and Cava taste at Llopart Cava
Met the management team of Edition Barcelona
Hotel tour of Sofia Barcelona
Presentation by General Manager & HR Director, Nobu Hotel Barcelona
Program example, subject to change
Program entry requirements
for the Master's in Hospitality Business Leadership
Minimum age
21 years old at the start of the program.
Education
Bachelor-level undergraduate degree* in a relevant field (business or hospitality preferred).
Minimum English language entry requirements
If English is not your first language, or if you have not spent the last two years* studying in a school where English is the primary language of instruction, please enclose a copy of one of the following:
- International English Language Test (IELTS)**: 6.0 overall (min. 5.5 in any subcomponent)
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): Internet-based 80 or paper-based 550
- First Cambridge Exam: Grade A
- Cambridge Advanced Exam: Grade C
For London campus admissions, same as above, except Non-UK and Irish passport holders will need to undertake IELTS UKVI: 6.0 overall and min. 5.5 in any subcomponent.
Note: All English certificates must have been issued in the 12 months prior to admission. Glion offers an Intensive Hospitality English Language Program (IHELP). If your English level does not meet the levels indicated above, then please contact us for more information.
*If a degree/transcript is not in English (for UK) or English, French, German or Italian (for Switzerland), an official certified/translated copy in English will be required.
**Only tests taken/issued in an official IELTS testing center are accepted.
Other Master's & Executive Master's programs
Master's in Luxury Management and Guest Experience
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Master's in Real Estate, Finance and Hotel Development
Integrate the latest concepts and techniques of real estate
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