The Associate Degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management is typically two years in length  and required 20 course works based in theory and practice. General education requirements are  also typically included. Many core courses focus on tourism fields and Hospitality management topics. At PUC, Associate Degree in Tourism and Hospitality Management educates students on  how to effectively track a tourism industry’s sector. Many of these programs are structured to draw  from a broad liberal arts education while also focusing on career-specific in tourism and  Hospitality Management courses.

Associate Degree of Tourism and Hospitality Management

Year I

 Note: ⁽¹⁾ ENGL 110 is pre-requisite for ENGL 120

Year II

Note: (2) THM 235 is pre- requisite for THM250

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.

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.

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  and IT students an overview of how Information Technology System has been  developed the fundamental concepts and terminologies of Information Technology,  knowledge of basic computer hardware and software, computer technology,  information technology. Besides this, student will learn selective Microsoft Office  for academic purpose.

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.

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

THM200: Tourism Geography

Contributing to the development of Cambodia’s tourism, Tourism Geography in  Cambodia not only details the tourist destinations for the entire country, but also  some other basic information about Cambodia. The book used in this course,  Tourism Sites of Cambodia, includes information about each site, tourism maps of  Cambodia, and its cities and provinces; beautiful photos of many sites inside the  country, and some other related and practical important information. Furthermore,  the book is written primarily for tour guides. Therefore, it will be of interest to  students if they want to become ones.

THM 210: 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.

THM 215: Tourism for Economics

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.

MKT 220 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 225: 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.

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.

THM 240: 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 245 Food and Beverage Service

Food and beverage services sector contributes a great deal to the profits in  hospitality industry. With the increase in importance of business meetings, a  range of personal and social events, a large number of customers visit catering  establishments frequently. The food and beverage professionals tirelessly work to  intensify customers’ experience through their service. The F&B Services

providing businesses deliver food and beverages to their customers at a particular  location (on-premise) such as hotel, restaurant, or at the customer’s intended  premises (off-premise).

THM 255: 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 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/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.