Subject guides / Sustainable Tourism
Sustainable Tourism
Also appears in programme titles as: Tourism and Sustainability · Ecotourism Management
What a sustainable tourism degree actually is
Tourism is a tenth of the world economy and a major climate and community-impact sector at once — and sustainable tourism degrees train the people who try to reconcile that: responsible destination management, ecotourism, tourism policy.
Leeds Beckett runs the UN-Tourism-certified responsible-tourism MSc; Wageningen the sustainability-focused tourism programme; Uppsala's Gotland campus the destination-development master; Monash and ASU the Australian and US routes.
What you study — and the bar to entry
Tourism and destination management, sustainability and community impacts, tourism policy and planning, and heritage- and nature-based tourism. Entry reads tourism, geography, business and development backgrounds; the programmes range from management-focused (Leeds Beckett, Monash) to sustainability-science-flavoured (Wageningen). No quantitative bar.
Where it leads
Destination-management organisations and tourism boards, sustainable-tourism consultancies, hospitality-group sustainability teams, conservation and community-tourism NGOs, and tourism ministries. For tourism-dependent economies — small islands, heritage destinations — this capacity is strategically important and often scarce, which is where the scholarship logic sits.
Who it suits — and who it does not
A good fit if you are…
- Tourism and hospitality professionals moving into sustainability and management
- Officials from tourism-dependent economies building responsible-tourism capacity — a distinctive funded profile
- Development and conservation practitioners working the tourism angle
Probably not the right degree if…
- Applicants who want hospitality operations management — a different, more vocational field
- Those seeking conservation science directly — see that guide
- Anyone expecting a large scholarship menu — funding here is thinner than in mainstream development
Where to study it: the programme map
Five verified programmes: Leeds Beckett (UN-Tourism-certified), Wageningen (sustainability), Uppsala Gotland (destination development), Monash (Australia) and ASU (US, online).
| University | Official programme title | Length | Tuition (intl) | Experience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State UniversityUnited States | Master of Sustainable Tourism | — | — | Fully online programme; most scholarships fund campus study only. |
| Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong | Master of Social Science in Sustainable Tourism | 12 mo | — | — |
| Leeds Beckett UniversityUnited Kingdom | Responsible Tourism Management MSc | — | — | — |
| Monash UniversityAustralia | Master of International Sustainable Tourism Management | — | — | — |
| Università della Svizzera italiana (USI)Switzerland | Master in International Tourism | — | — | — |
| Uppsala UniversitySweden | Master's Programme in Sustainable Destination Development | 24 mo | — | — |
| Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlands | MSc Tourism, Society and Environment | 24 mo | — | — |
Every row verified against the official programme page; oldest verification 16 Jul 2026. Nothing here is a paid placement.
Application strategy and funding routes
Leeds Beckett (UN-Tourism-certified, Chevening-compatible) is the responsible-tourism specialist; Wageningen the sustainability-science route; Uppsala Gotland the destination-development option (Swedish Institute); Monash and ASU the Australian and US routes. Tourism-dependent-economy applicants — small-island and heritage-destination profiles — have a genuinely distinctive scholarship story; name the destination and the pressure you would manage.
Which scholarship funds which programme
Computed from each scheme's published rules (destination, level, course length) — not a guarantee; list-based schemes still require checking the official list.
- Arizona State University — study destination outside the scheme
- Chinese University of Hong Kong — study destination outside the scheme
- Leeds Beckett University — course length not on file
- Monash University — study destination outside the scheme
- Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) — study destination outside the scheme
- Uppsala University — study destination outside the scheme
- Wageningen University & Research — study destination outside the scheme
- Arizona State University — study destination outside the scheme
- Chinese University of Hong Kong — study destination outside the scheme
- Leeds Beckett University
- Monash University — study destination outside the scheme
- Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) — study destination outside the scheme
- Uppsala University — study destination outside the scheme
- Wageningen University & Research — study destination outside the scheme
Frequently asked questions
Is sustainable tourism a serious field or a soft option?
For tourism-dependent economies it is strategically serious — destination management, community impact and climate resilience are real policy problems. The Leeds Beckett programme's UN Tourism certification signals the professional end of the field.
Management route or sustainability-science route?
Leeds Beckett and Monash lean tourism management; Wageningen leans sustainability science applied to tourism. Choose by whether your career is in the tourism industry or in the environmental governance of it.
Which scholarships fit?
Chevening/Commonwealth for Leeds Beckett; Swedish Institute for Uppsala; Australia Awards for Monash. Funding is thinner here than in mainstream development — small-island and heritage narratives help most.
Related fields
Sources
Official programme pages (linked per row above) · official scholarship rules and participating-programme lists · university admission regulations. Every data row records its source URL and verification date; stale rows are re-checked or removed.
Global Study Prep is independent and not affiliated with any university or scholarship programme. Programme details change — always confirm on the official page before applying.