Degree Programme in a Nutshell | Profile of the Degree Programme in Experience and Wellness Management  | Curriculum

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Degree Programme in a Nutshell

Profile of the Degree Programme

The Degree Programme in Experience and Wellness Management (EXWEL) is the first of its kind in the world.

The boundaries between the tourism/hospitality and culture/arts worlds are becoming blurred. Tourism/hospitality businesses are becoming increasingly creative and the culture/arts organisations are becoming increasingly entrepreneurial. In simple terms, the Experience and Wellness Management degree programme emerged from the intersection between hospitality/tourism and culture/arts – the E-Factor!

Experience Economy and Wellness Economy will dominate the business in the third millennium. Experience (elämys in Finnish; upplevelse in Swedish; erlebnis in German; elamus in Estonian; przeżycie in Polish) and Wellness (wellbeing + fitness) are new fields of study in hospitality and tourism. Examples of them are events, music festivals, sport activities, art performances and cultural shows, social celebrations, special moments and treats.

The E-Factor! Tourists today want to stay in amazing and unusual hotels and restaurants, to go to see performances such as Cirque du Soleil, Rolling Stones or the splendid Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert, to go ‘zorbing’ in Australia, i.e. rolling down a hill in a plastic ball, to swim with sharks in the Caribbean, to enjoy a magma-fortified soak in a local hot spring in Costa Rica, to take a trip into space with Virgin Galactic, and to do many other one-of-a-kind extraordinary experiences.

Objectives of the Programme

The objective of the EXWEL programme is to prepare students for positions in Experience and Wellness businesses within the tourism, hospitality and leisure industry. Through a blockular curriculum of interdisciplinary courses this innovative programme emphasises multifaceted management and transformation by providing students with comprehensive management competences to run operations, understand consumers/markets, perform experiences, scan business environments, create concepts, deal with business dynamics, lead people, improve wellness, manage contexts and perspectives. Students will be able to develop comprehensive knowledge, skills, aptitudes (abilities) and attitudes to operate/work in the Experience and Wellness emerging professions. The programme bridges theory-and-practice through strong participation of the industry players. Work placements in Finland or abroad are an integral part of the programme. The programme is flexible in order to respond to individual students' interests and their professional goals - tailored specifically to each student.

Pedagogic Approach

The learning, teaching and pedagogical approaches in the EXWEL programme have been constructed in an innovative manner. The EXWEL programme is strongly oriented towards the industry practices via Innovation-Based Learning (IB-L) through play. In IB-L through play students work in small teams and develop innovative solutions for industry-based ‘real’ problems/opportunities. The IB-L through play has proven to be an effective learning and teaching methodology and the key benefits are deeper knowledge of the subject matters, concentration in applying the knowledge and increased self-direction and improved problem-solving skills. The approach develops students’ teamwork and communication skills amongst other competences as they have to communicate with various industry players, facilitators and fellow students. Tacit roles of students, facilitators and industry players are challenged. IB-L challenges students to increase independence and at the same responsibility for the expected results and their study planning. The facilitators will act more like a coach, project supervisor or expert partner instead of the traditional lecturing. The industry players will work in co-operation with the facilitators in planning of the programme, providing consultancy and development projects and also by offering opportunities for work placements.

Specialisation Options

The EXWEL programme offers students the possibility to specialise in 3 core areas.

In addition to the 3 core specialisation options, a selected group of students can also pursue a specialisation in collaboration with our international university partners.

Professional Growth

The EXWEL programme provides students an opportunity to use their creativity, passion, and knowledge to help solve glocal industry challenges and make a difference in the world. Graduates are expected to be change-makers and either start their own business or work for private or public creative organisations in junior and middle management positions (e.g. destinations, resorts, attractions, spas, wellness centers, sport/fitness, entertainment, media, retail, charities, airports, hotels, restaurants, cruise lines, casinos, airlines, and many others)

Imagine how it would feel to live and work in one of the most beautiful and luxurious Tropical Island resort in the world? Your office would be a beach of pure white sand. Your daily commute would be a stroll past an aquamarine sea. Your meetings would involve champagne cocktails at sunset.

Curriculum

Structure, Content and Extent of the DP >>>

Courses >>>