The Bachelor of Arts in Tourism & Hospitality Management is typically four years in length and required coursework based in theory and practice to enhance the awareness of the growing importance of the tourism and hospitality industry to our society, nation and the world. This major acquires a comprehensive understanding of the tourism and hospitality industry, in particular the tourism system and those dimensions of hospitality (skills, personal qualities and attitudes) that are valued by the industry. It will provide knowledge and pre-employment industrial experience to explore multiple pathways for further studies in post-secondary institutions and for career development in the tourism and hospitality industry.

With the arrival of new subjects such as convention and exhibition management, special events, cruises, aviation, theme parks, the spectrum of tourism and hospitality management has become wider. Tourism and Hospitality Management is aimed at broadening students’ knowledge of the overall industry of tourism and hospitality, including its issues and developments. This subject helps students to understand tourism and hospitality by providing them with the basic concepts, knowledge and theories of the industry as well as related practical experiences. It also provide students with a positive attitude, interpersonal, communication and presentation skills, customer service skills and entrepreneurial skills so that they will be able to work well in their careers.

Major: Tourism and Hospitality Management

Note: (2) ARIL210 is pre- requisite for THM421

         (3) ACCT 210is pre- requisite for ACCT212

Elective Courses

Course Description

 POL 101   Introduction to Political Science

The course introduces the student to basic concepts of political science. The course also examines institutions and political processes in various systems throughout the world. Information and analysis provided in the course are necessary foundations for further study in this field.

ANTH 102 Cultural Anthropology

This course is designed to investigate the impact of culture on everyday living and decision-making, both locally and globally. It presents basic concepts in cultural anthropology and applies them to various expressions of culture, such as languages, family structures, livelihoods, political systems, belief systems, and art.

NATS 102 Environmental Science

Significant increases in the world population along with technology advances in the manufacture of products corresponding to people‘s demand, led to the over-exploration of nature resources. This brought environmental and other impacts, such as natural resources depletion, solid waste generation increment, ecosystem unbalancing, health and safety problems on human beings, etc.

Similarly, Cambodia is also facing such problems. Hence, awareness in environmental issues contributing to environmental protection is in need to address. This course is designed to provide some fundamental concepts of environmental science in order to make students environmentally aware about vital issues like natural resources conservation, sustainable use of resources, environmental degradation, and rapid growth of human population coupled with technology causing major environmental problems. Emphasis is given to promote sustainable concepts and to enable students to make informed choices regarding their environment. Additionally, this course is introduced to make students understand theories and integrate them into practical applications through real world situation observations, consequentially allowing them to establish cause and effect relationship via impact assessment projects.

 COMP 110 Introduction to Computers

This course is one of the general courses in the foundation year program required by PUC to familiarize student with the use of computer as an efficient tool in Information Technology for their study and work. It is designed to provide non-IT of how computer system has been developed the fundamental concepts and terminologies of computer systems, knowledge of basic computer hardware and software, and IT students of how to assemble computer, install software and perform computer troubleshooting. Besides this, students will learn selective Microsoft Office for practical purpose.

ENGL 110​ English I: Reading and Composition

This course is designed to enable students of the foundation year to improve their reading and writing skills at an intermediate level. The students will read a wide range of interesting texts related to real life situations. All the texts will enhance students’ reading competence through guided and independent reading activities for both academic work and pleasure. In addition to the reading skills, the students will develop their writing skills ranging from writing meaningful paragraphs to composing meaningful short essays which include a descriptive essay, a narrative essay, a cause-effect essay, a problem-solution essay, and an opinion essay. To make this course more fun and productive, a variety of approaches and interactive practice activities will be employed. Those include student-centered, communicative, cooperative learning, task-based and project-based approaches, and communicative and interactive practice activities. The students are also required to do assignments and projects individually, in pairs, and/or in groups.

KHMR 110 Khmer Studies

Khmer Studies observes the evolution of Khmer culture from pre-history through the Angkorean period to contemporary society. It examines the arts, languages, literature, customs, traditions, and creations of the Khmer people. Students gain a sense of appreciation and love for the Khmer culture and a sense of pride, integrity, and national identity.

SOC 110    Gender Studies

This course is the introduction to Gender Studies/Women‘s Studies. Given the comprehensiveness and diversity of the overall subject area, this course will provide an introduction to and critical engagement with several specific areas of inquiry that make up Gender Studies/Women‘s studies.

ACCT 110  Financial Accounting I

This course will provide students a clear understanding of basic accounting concepts with emphasis on controlling the accuracy of recording business transactions and the preparation of financial report at the end of the accounting cycle, so students pursuing various disciplines have acquired the ability to utilize and interpret the accounting information as a valuable tool for other achievement. The most important requirement for this course is a thorough preparation and analysis of the assigned problems and/or cases and active participation in the classroom. The expectation is that students will come to class having already thought through and analyzed the assigned problems and/or cases. This way, we can devote the bulk of the class time to thinking about and responding to each other‘s analyses and only the necessary minimum to getting the facts out. The success of this course depends on the quality of our classroom discussions. Students are strongly encouraged to actively participate in class.

ENGL 120 English II: Reading and Composition

Continuing from ENGL 110, this course aims to further enhance students ‘reading and writing skills at an intermediate level. The students will read various interesting texts on different topics and themes related to real life contexts and situations. All the texts will enhance students ‘reading competence through guided and independent reading activities for both academic work and pleasure. In addition to the reading skills, the students will develop their writing skills ranging from writing longer essays which include a descriptive essay, a narrative essay, a cause-effect essay, a problem-solution essay, a compare and contrast essay, an opinion essay, a persuasive essay, and a summary of a text. To make this course more fun and productive, a variety of approaches and interactive practice activities will be employed in class. Those include student-centered, communicative, cooperative learning, task-based and project-based approaches, and lots of communicative and interactive practice activities. The students are also required to do assignments and projects individually, in pairs, and/or in groups.

THM131      Introduction to Tourism and Hospitality

Core concepts frequently found in Tourism and Hospitality Studies are introduced to the students. The course provides a review of the tourism industry emphasizing that tourism should be viewed as a system. The impacts of tourism on the society and economy of recipient nations are also inspected, so that students have an opportunity to appreciate tourism and, at the same time, to caution its adverse effects. The course extends its purview to acquaint students with tourism marketing and the role of the government in tourism intervention.

THM132      ASEAN Tourism Products

The ‘ASEAN Tourism Products’ course focuses on attractions and the magnetism that draws tourists to the ten destinations in ASEAN nations. It recognizes the importance of imminent regional integration, explores the distinctiveness of various attractions, exposes students to socio-cultural differences, and raises their cultural awareness of the ASEAN nations. The course also brings practical experiences to students via various means, such as study visits to at least one of the ASEAN countries.

HFT 201      Health Educations and Fitness

Health Education course will introduce students to basic knowledge on health education, health behavior, reproductive health, tropical diseases, sexual transmitted diseases, chronic disease, alcohol, tobacco, and domestic violence will be imparted. With this knowledge, students will have opportunity to explore the concept of health education / health promotion and health determinant factors affecting to public health.

 MATH 201  College Algebra

Algebra provides materials in basic mathematics for general need in related fields such as economics, business, social science, law and so on. The topics will be covered: basic algebra operations, equations and inequalities, graphs and functions, exponential and logarithmic functions, and systems of equations and inequalities. All the topics are accompanied by applications in order to get the students to know the real use of mathematics.

STAT 201: Introduction to Statistics & Its Application

This course is designed for students who have never taken statistics before. We begin with the elementary concept of statistics, continue to descriptive statistics and end with inferential statistics. Students will learn how to present qualitative and quantitative data, both by using graphs and summary values. They also learn basic probability theory in order to understand the concept of inferential statistics. The two kinds of inferences, confidence intervals and test hypotheses are included at the end of the course.

POL 202    ASEAN Governments, Politics and Economics

The course is designed to provide students with the fundamental understanding of the functional and institutional of ASEAN. Snapshots of facts and figure of ASEAN (country profile/ country bio-data) will be provided to students for familiarizing themselves with local government structure, economic trends, relevant policy and challenges. Country bio-data identifies the characteristics and personality of each national government and their respective interest in the Association. The complexity of regional politics and economics integration will be addressed to assess the institutional function of the Association. In this course covers such topics as (1) the structure of ASEAN national governments; (2) ASEAN Economic Trends-Agreements/Mechanisms (AIA, AFTA, Market and Monetary Procedure/Harmonization); (3) perspectives of ASEAN Countries: in term of economics, politics and security; (4) ASEAN Charter; (5) ASEAN Political Security Community; (6) ASEAN Economic Community; (7) ASEAN Social and Cultural Community; (8) Cambodia and ASEAN.

ARIL 210    Academic Research: Information Literacy

The goal of this course is to instill students with information literacy (IL) skills. By the end of the course, it is expected that students will be able to ―locate, evaluate and use information of any type, in any media effectively. Moreover, IL will enable students to communicate their work in a scholarly manner within academic ethic principles. They will understand what plagiarism is and will cite their sources properly when they use someone else‘s ideas or work.

PHIL 210    Logic and Critical Thinking

Students will be introduced to the basic methods and principles of logic. Students will study and apply various methods to test arguments, and apply the principles of logic, through various exercises, puzzles, and problem solving, to develop critical thinking skills. Students will study assorted forms of false reasoning and examine possible applications of this study in academic and non-academic life.

THM211    Customer Service

The course provides practical tips and techniques to accomplish the elusive goal of consistent service excellence through personalized customer services for a business’s competitive advantage. The students will acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty in delivering unforgettable services that work and retain clients. The course provides a step-by-step guide, tools, and procedures in the delivery of exceptional customer services.

PHIL 212   Introduction to Ethics

This course is an introduction to the subject of ethics. We will examine the basic concepts and principles of ethical thought, including issues of morality and self-interest, right and wrong, actions, character, consequences, motive, and their relationship to issues of law, religion, and society. We will also read and analyze writings by famous philosophers, thinkers, and leaders regarding ethics and the ―good society.

PSYC 212  Personal Growth and Development

Personal growth and development is part of the general studies required by PUC for the entire undergraduate program. Students in their third term must take this course. This course is designed to teach disciplinary, good behaviors, positive attitude, self-respect and self-confidence at the university as well as in the society. It will also teach study skills and time management for success in college as well as in life. Buddhist as well as western philosophy and thoughts are essential part of this course. Students can learn how to value life, develop virtues, molding themselves after great heroes. The way to obtain the ―positive mental attitudes‖ is taught through this course.

ACCT 212 Financial Accounting II

The Course is designed in unit I to provide students a complete knowledge in recording the assets, liabilities and other transactions which cause the change in financial positions and the net income of a business organization .The students will be able to understand the accounting principles and concepts which are appropriated to the business environment such as inflation and to value the internal control in each accounting steps will be stressed. Through practices and reviews, students will be able to prepare bank reconciliation, the recording of the non-cash expenses as well as the recording of the different type of business formation in accordance with the rule and regulations of the taxation office.

In unit II, all the accounting issues which primarily affect corporations as well as the way that individual and corporations use accounting information to measure taxable income and to determine the amount of income tax owed will be known. The statement of the cash flows, which is one of the four major financial statements, and the techniques by which investors analyze financial statements, will be shown.

HIST 230 History of Cambodia

This is a social science course that students have to fulfill before going on to their specific major course. It will be a discussion of the civil war and its consequences especially the post dark period of year 1975-79 in Cambodia. There will also be a discussion of renovation and reform after the year 1993. The changes in Khmer culture, society and economics will be discussed based on general opinions and public media. Political structure, foreign policy, gender issues, human rights, rural development, and education are also included.

ENTR 301:  Introduction Entrepreneurship and New Venture Idea

This course is an introductory course designed to build and develop entrepreneurship mindset in the students by teaching them basic principles of entrepreneurship, characters of effective and ineffective entrepreneurs, new business ideas generation, process, procedure and skills needed to create new enterprises, forms of business entities, and business plan development.

THM 310: Economics for Tourism

The  course  emphasizes  new  aspects  such  as  the  measurement  of  tourism  (e.g. Tourism  Satellite Account), supply trends, competition models, the macro-evaluation of tourism projects and events, and the role of tourism in a development strategy. It also examines many different economic aspects of tourism, such as theories of demand and supply and economic impacts on tourist destinations. The course then goes beyond the myth of economic growth to inspect stylized facts of tourism as an agent of growth and incorporate the issues of sustainability.

THM 311:  Front Office Operation and Management

The course provides a purview of the front office operation and management at hotels, ranging from hotel  organization,  communications,  reservations,  guest  registration,  processing  guest  charge payments,  guest  checkout,  and  training  to  promoting  in-house  sales.  It  also  delves into  the management  of  hospitality,  particularly  focusing  on  diversity  management;  total  quality management;  and  development,  delivery,  and  evaluation  of  service  management  programs.  By taking this course, students prepare themselves as future front office supervisors and managers in hotels.

THM 312: Tourism and Cultural Heritage

The course focuses on issues, challenges, and opportunities of heritage tourism in the context of developing countries. It covers  from the contested definitions of heritage to critical issues, such as heritage  preservation  and  protection,  politics,  impacts,  conflicts,  marketing,  and  management  of heritage and the pasts for tourism. These issues are reflected upon the experience of the management and development of heritage tourism in Cambodia.

THM313:  Introduction to Interpersonal Communication

The course is designed to develop students’ interpersonal skills and enable them to become more effective communicators.  It discusses concepts, theories/models, and research essential to interpersonal crafts. Various examples are also inspected to provide conceptual and practical understanding  of  the  state-of-the-art  communication  in  the  21st  century.  The course brings the world’s  experiences  and  practices  to  the  students  who  take  it  and  spells  out  clear  guidelines, principles, typologies, and models of the bona fide interpersonal communication.

THM 315: Events: Meetings, Conventions, And Exhibitions3

The course covers the many facets of the global events industry and provides both an insight into how it is structured and a broader picture of the industry in its totality. It delves into discrete pieces of  information  on  specific  aspects  of  the  industry  in  its  entirety  to  equip  students  with  a  better understanding of the parameters and characteristics of this true twenty-first century industry. It suits those wanting to work in the industry, as well as to those looking for a future career in this booming industry, from politicians (local and national), to journalists and consultants, and indeed to anyone seeking an overview of this dynamic, endearing, varied but still under-recognized sector of national and global economies of events.

 MKT320    Marketing Principles

This course is designed to introduce the marketing mix functions and process. Includes identification of consumer and organizational needs and explanation of environmental issues. The purpose of this course is to teach students to identify the marketing mix components; explain the environmental factors which influence consumer and organizational decision-making processes; outline a marketing plan; and interpret marketing research data to forecast industry trends and meet customer demands.

THM 324: Hospitality Supervision/HR

This course recognizes the importance of human resource management (HRM) in tourism, addresses the challenges, acknowledges the cultural factor in people management, considers approaches to training and development, and emphasizes the significance of the employee welfare in the human resource management in the hospitality and tourism sectors. It aims to equip learners with awareness, knowledge, and skills in dynamic personnel management. It exposes students to various HRM concepts, perspectives, debates, and approaches/strategies for employee management.

MKT 330   Online and Social Media Marketing

Marketing Online is an intensive course of students in business management and marketing in particular. With the explosion of the Internet era and the changing business environment in Cambodia as well as in the world, the demand for knowledge and skills in using online communication tools has been really different and urgent for the current business manpower. For this reason, this course is essential for marketing students as well as for students from other disciplines such as international business management, human resources management, hospitality and social sciences. This course will teach you how to use online marketing tools such as: website 4.0, online advertising channels, social networking advertising, email marketing, search engine marketing, PR Online ... Then you can plan your online marketing, execute the plan and evaluate it. In order to study this subject well, students need to learn perquisites subjects such as principle marketing and marketing management. In addition, if you have studied subjects such as business planning, strategic management, public relations (PR) or advertising, that will be the foundation knowledge needed to acquire to this subject.

THM 331:Management in Tourism

This course provides students with various fundamental strategic management principles in a tourism, hospitality and events context and brings theory to life by integrating a host of industry-based case studies and examples throughout to show applications of strategic management.

ENTR 333 :Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior is an exciting area. Every day, we are exposed to hundreds or thousands of marketing stimuli, which are designed to inform, persuade, and influence our purchase decisions. These stimuli are designed and constructed based upon the implicit theories that marketers have about how consumers behave. This course examines social science and consumer behavior research for concepts and principles that marketers can use to better understand customers and meet their needs.

THM 411: Hotel & Resort Operation and Management

The course is designed to develop students’ comprehensive knowledge and analytical skills they need to succeed in today’s flourishing and dynamic hotel and resort industries. It examines a specific operation  of  hotel/resort  departments  and  provides  critical  thinking and perspectives  on  the associated duties, responsibilities, issues, and opportunities of the hotel ma management and operations encountered  by the industry professionals. The course is set within a coherent theoretical framework that enables students and industry practitioners to identify complex issues, understand the structure and resources of the departments in question, and find solutions that may help in managing other hotel resources and departments.

 THM 412: Travel Agency and Tour Operations

The  course  provides  a  wide  range  of  knowledge  and  crafts  of  the  services  provided  by  travel agencies. Students learn about making a reservation and transport organization and operation. They also acquire knowledge of travel agency systems, global distribution systems, and additional skills required to perform different tasks in the operation and management of travel agencies.

THM 413: Catering, Food, and Beverage Management  

The course explores a wide range of subject areas that come within the orbit of operational food and beverage management and relates them to different sectors of the catering industry, including  fast-food, popular catering, hotels and quality restaurants, industrial catering, and welfare catering. It develops students’ concepts of starting and running a catering business. It also examines various aspects of the catering services, operations, and management from menu types, pricing and offering to food/beverage purchasing, storage, production, control and quality.

THM 421    Research Methods in Tourism and Hospitality

This ‘Research Methods’ course examines the whole research process in tourism and hospitality industries. It emphasizes philosophies, approaches, and methods in both qualitative and quantitative research. Sampling strategies, data collection techniques, and data analyses are also examine d to [32]prepare  students  to  comfortably  embark  on  their  own  research  project  of  interest  in  the  travel industry.

THM 422: The airline Business and Industry

The course discusses key issues impacting the stability and structure of the airline industry, with special attention to the effect of continued liberalization and ‘open skies’, the need to reduce labor costs, the impact of alliances and consolidation, the growing threat of low-cost carriers, the e-commerce revolution and the problems faced by state-owned airlines. It also evaluates alternative strategies necessary for airlines to survive and succeed in time of uncertainty and structural change within the industry.

 THM 423: Development and Management of Visitor Attractions

The course examines the roles and nature of visitor attractions and approaches to their development, management, and marketing, with an attempt to identify and address thematic issues that connect a variety of seemingly separate elements in the visitor attraction sector.  The  course  includes  a consideration  of  many  aspects  within  the  fields  of  development  and  management  such  as  the economic  aspect,  transportation,  authentication,  impact  management,  interpretation,  and  human resource. It also explores the significance of marketing aspects of visitor attractions such as pricing and a collaborative approach to marketing.

THM 424: Ecotourism and the Environment

The  course  provides  a  contextual  and  theoretical  understanding  of  the  relationship  between ecotourism and environmental sustainability. Various thematic case studies are employed to enhance the cultivation of knowledge of ecotourism and sustainable development. The  course  examines critically  the  ambivalence  that  lies  behind  the  concept  of  ecotourism  as  synonymous  with environmentally sustainable tourism; likewise, it resists a dominant trend to showcase best (or most sustainable) practice.

 MKT 465:   Sale Promotion Tools and Techniques

This course focuses on stimulating consumer action. Students learn practical, well established promotional techniques and how they can be mixed and matched to fit a specific situation. The importance of integrating sales promotion and direct marketing to optimize return on investment will be examined.

 MGT 466: Management and Leadership Development Skills

The course is part of management program. It aims at providing students with necessary skills to develop and improve their leadership skills.  It starts with an overview of leadership and the difference between leadership and management. The rest of the course concentrates on various skills that a leader need.  It does not only provide the conceptual perspectives but also practical applications and real examples, especially in Cambodian context.

lTHM 488: Tourism & Hospitality Industry Internship

The industry internship gives students an opportunity to engage in practical experience in a particular section of tourism and hospitality of their interest. The students seek further to apply theoretical knowledge to hands-on operation of their assigned job. The cultivation of the industry experience concretizes their erudition, develops state-of-the-art skills and aptitude required by the industry, and enhances their future employability. This industry internship is especially designed for students who wish to seek employment immediately after school.

 THM 489: Senior Research Project or Exit Exam

The  senior  research  project  shapes  students’  research  skills  and  competency  in  academically advancing knowledge in a particular area of tourism and hospitality of their concern. The student, supervised  by  an  experienced  academic  staff,  must  choose  a  certain  topic  of  their  interest  to  do research. The project is especially suited to students who wish to pursue employment in the field of research and those who are in the quest of further education.