Program Content for the MSc in International Hospitality Management

The MSc in International Hospitality Management is a unique 18-month program designed to develop global leaders in the hospitality industry. Offered in partnership with Institut Lyfe and emlyon business school, it combines cutting-edge expertise with hands-on learning. Study across Lyon, Paris, and Las Vegas to master foodservice, luxury hospitality, and resort management, while working on real-world projects such as restaurant concepts and consulting for top brands. Tailored tracks and international exposure ensure graduates are prepared for dynamic roles in an ever-evolving industry.

As a student of the MSc in International Hospitality Management you will be studying at two top European business schools with global recognition for excellence.

The hospitality courses and management courses have been co-designed by experts at Institut Lyfe and emlyon business school, enabling you to become a hospitality expert through the course of one of the two tracks depending on your past educational experience in the industry.

Depending on your educational background and previous experience in hospitality, you will either join the Advanced Track or the Accelerated Track.

Advanced Track

For students that already hold a diploma in hospitality. You will compliment your prior hospitality knowledge with specialized coursework in Talent & Performance Management, Relationship Marketing, and other General Management areas. You will also profit from innovative courses like Customer Experience & Service Quality, Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, etc.

Accelerated Track

For students seeking to begin their discovery of the hospitality industry through more fundamental courses and do not already have a diploma in the field. Courses offered in this specific track include: a 4-week Professional Immersion Module before the start of the program and intensive coursework in the fundamentals of Hospitality Management (Hospitality Marketing, Interpreting Hospitality Financial datas, Meetings & Events Management, Revenue Management, etc.)

Upon completion of the module, you will be able to model the culture and behavior of the industry, discuss with confidence the economic environment of the industry, its major players and key trends, and perform the fundamental management tasks associated with lodging and foodservice management.

Discover the program content for the 2025-2026 academic year:

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You will first follow a core syllabus which will allow you to acquire the fundamentals of management, gain the necessary skill set of international business management and apply it to the industry.

Example of courses:

• Fundamentals of Economics
• Fundamentals of Finance
• Fundamentals of Accounting
• Fundamentals of Marketing
• Corporate Social Responsibility

After the enrolment and before the official start of classes, you will have access to many of the digital resources available to emlyon business school students during the summer:

• emlyon business school apps and platforms (Learning Hub, Career Center, etc.)
• e-learning management fundamentals courses available online

This will help you to get to the grips with the various tools and ensure that your integration is a success, as you will have a busy schedule once the program begins in September.

The first semester in Lyon is dedicated to raising your competencies in Foodservice Management. Upon completion of the semester, you will be able to perform the basic management functions of the hospitality industry and demonstrate advanced level general management competencies.

You will discover the world capital of gastronomy, home of the late legendary Paul Bocuse and a long line of famous chefs back to the famous mères lyonnaise, instrumental in the development of the very first restaurants.

Lyon boasts some 3000 restaurants several of them Michelin-starred (including the Michelin one-star Saisons, the gastronomic restaurant of Institut Lyfe) and is the site of the Cité de la Gastronomie, an interactive and experiential national museum dedicated to fine dining.

Semester 1: common courses in Lyon

• Acquire the Fundamentals of Management (optional): Non-credit on-line courses allow students with limited formal training in management or with missing elements to be prepared for later applied coursework. These courses are managed by emlyon business school.
• You will follow courses in marketing, management, operations management, finance and project management to successfully navigate the variety of business models that make the global hospitality industry so unique. In addition, the entrepreneurial and innovation management skills that emlyon business school is known to provide will help you distinguish yourself in the eyes of your future employer.
• The online course “Corporate Social Responsibility” is mandatory for all emlyon business school students and should be followed as a regular course during semester 1 in Lyon)

Throughout the semester, you will work in teams to design and develop a viable Concept Restaurant. At the end of the semester, you will test your concept with a PoC, a pop-up restaurant with eight covers per service managed over a two-day period. Working with students from Institut Lyfe’s Master’s in Culinary Leadership & Innovation who will shoulder the main responsibility for food production, you will create the menus, design and décor for a realistic and viable restaurant, refining and improving the concept through the two days of trials. Your concept will be supported by a fully researched and detailed business plan, providing insight into the financial and marketing feasibility of your conception.

During your week in London you will discover the current and upcoming trends in the hospitality industry. In a city that isn’t afraid to innovate and push boundaires, you will visit and learn about trendy boutique hotesl (e.g. Blake’s and Sanderson, the Ned, the Rosewood, the ANdAZ, the Kimpton Fitzroy), disruptive new formats (Ace Hotel , the Hoxton, the Good Hotel , the London Standard, etc.), trendy restuarants (Sketch, Zuma, Park Chinois, the Coal Office, etc.) and also legendary palace hotels (Dorchester, Claridge’s, the Savoy, the Ritz London, etc.).

Paris, the world’s number one travel destination and the capital of design, fashion, luxury and fine art. It is home to the world’s most famous palace hotels and the mecca of modern lifestyle hotel design. Paris is THE place to discover the world of hotels and design. You will develop your creativity and aesthetic sensibilities as well as technological insight through theoretical and experiential exposure to common courses in service design and services management, lifestyle and luxury, digital and automated environments and hospitality applications. Upon completion of the semester, you will be able to design and develop a unique and holistic hospitality experience supported by a full brand design plan for presentation to a multi-national at its corporate headquarters.

Examples of courses offered in Paris:

• Managing Service Quality
• Innovation Management
• Service Design
• Finance
• Luxury Management

You will develop your creativity and aesthetic sensibilities as well as technological insight through theoretical and experiential exposure to courses in service design and services management, lifestyle and luxury, digital and automated environments and hospitality applications.

You will analyze the marketplace and look for white spaces in the brand offerings of a major multi-national corporation. Under the tutelage of world-class designers, your team will develop a new hotel brand from A to Z presenting the concept statement and design deck to the company’s top executives at their world headquarters.

Upon completion of the semester, you and your team will have designed and developed a unique and holistic hospitality experience and successfully pitch the brand to a corporate team.

Paris, the world’s number one travel destination, and capital of design, fashion, luxury and fine art. Home to the world’s most famous palace hotels and the mecca of modern lifestyle hotel design, Paris is the place to discover the world of hotels and design.

During the Hospitality Week in Paris you will visit hotels and restaurants such as:

• Distinctive palace hotels like the Ritz, Hôtel de Crillon, the Plaza Athénée, the Meurice, the Bristol, etc.
• New boutique hotels like the Sinner, the Brach, the Grand Pigalle Hotel, the Banke, etc.
• Disruptive hotels like Citizen M, Mama Shelter, the Generator, etc.
• Gastronomic restaurants like Aléno at Pavillon Ledoyen, Sur Mesure by Thierry Marx, etc.

EXAMPLES OF COURSES OFFERED IN PARIS

• Future hospitality: AI and digital trends
• Change management
• Consulting
• Environmentalism and ecotourism

You will study at the University of Las Vegas and focus on the hospitality and casino industry in the area. During the semester in Las Vegas, you will discover a global hospitality marketplace through a specific focus on multi-national hospitality enterprises, hospitality consulting and asset management.

EXAMPLES OF COURSES OFFERED IN LAS VEGAS

• Integrative resort management
• Hospitality and tourism analytics
• Hospitality Asset Management & Business Models

In teams, you will manage a full consulting mission to solve a specific real-world management problem facing an international hospitality concern.

Your team will present your recommendations to the top management of your client company putting to use your consulting and presentation skills acquired throughout the program.

Examples of missions’ students have worked on as part of their projects:

• Working on market research and defining how to create a successful hotel opening
• Conducting studies on food safety
• Helping companies redefine brand strategies
• Understanding financial performance, brand perception and distribution
• Analyzing how millennials can contribute to sustainability in the hotel business
• Identifying the platforms that an F&B operator must be on to succeed in the digital world in china
• Increasing brand awareness

The Professional Thesis is an analytical work on a topic related to the industry and to the professional experience gained during your internship. This is a great opportunity for you to research a subject which is not only of particular interest, but which has the potential to contribute powerfully to your personal and professional development.

The 4 to 6-month internship is a great opportunity to put your academic knowledge to the test and acquire tangible experience within the industry.

The internship is a great opportunity to put your academic knowledge to the test, and acquire tangible experience within the industry. The school will give you all the support and tools you need to find the right internship for you. Instead of doing an internship, starting directly with your first job can validate this professional experience required to get your degree and graduate from the program.

Assessment methods may include case studies, presentations, mock exercises, tests, etc.

This diploma can be validated by blocks of skills

🎓 Graduation rate: for the 2021-2022 academic year is 99%.
100% of students who the exam have graduated.