Central China Normal University (CCNU) has offered the tourism management major to students for over 30 years, in what is now the College of Urban and Environmental Planning. In 2005, the College began offering a Master’s degree in Tourism Management emphasizing areas such as tourism and regional development, tourism resources and the environment, tourism development and planning, and tourism enterprise management. In 2012, the College expanded its graduate program to include a doctoral degree in human geography with the research direction of tourism geography. Prominent teaching, research and social service outcomes of the faculty, administration and students, now carry a strong influence at home and abroad.
Chinese tourism continues growing rapidly, representing the world’s largest outbound tourism market in terms of visitor numbers and overseas expenditures. Chinese travel trends have thus changed global economic patterns and will continue influencing the future of the world’s economy. In this context, CCNU’s College of Urban and Environmental Planning began offering a Master of Tourism Management Program (MTM) in English for international students in 2015.
The MTM Program at CCNU offers intellectually outstanding international students the opportunity to learn more about the world’s largest tourism market, the Chinese tourism industry, Chinese culture, and professional tourism skills while engaging in independent research around issues of personal interest. The program provides helpful training for those pursuing more in-depth academic work and for those interested in learning about Chinese tourism. It is designed especially to benefit those seeking to specialize in particular areas of tourism, those hoping to develop a China-oriented career in China or in other countries, and those desiring to experience China's tourism development and to broaden their intellectual horizons.
The MTM curriculum is standardized on the basis of tourism research theories and methods. The cutting-edge, international and local features of the curriculum highlight scientific frontiers in tourism that inform both professional and academic pursuits. The MTM program faculties at CCNU have strong international backgrounds involving numerous international (scholarly) exchanges and visits, excellent English skills and teaching & research ability. The research platform of this program is first-class in China, incorporating the only university-based branch of China’s National Tourism Administration (i.e., Wuhan Branch of the China Tourism Academy, established in 2010 at CCNU).
The program’s foundation of international exchange is similarly strong, incorporating advanced tourism management concepts, ideas and methods through cooperative teaching, research and conferences with Colorado State University, Carleton University, Kean University, and others. In this way, the MTM program applies international context and principles to understand tourism holistically – as a system of that integrates diverse disciplines, research-based innovation, and practical needs. Considering the international tourism market and student employment demand, the MTM curriculum is thus practical and applicable to a wide range of tourism-related employment fields. Using a systematic teaching structure, diverse teaching methods and abundant teaching resources, the MTM program provides students with valuable learning and networking opportunities in this dynamic, globally significant industry.
华中师范大学旅游管理专业自1988年开办至今已有三十年历史，2005年便拥有硕士学位授予权，研究方向主要有：旅游与区域发展、旅游开发与规划、旅游企业管理等，2012年获得博士学位授予权（地理学一级学科），研究方向为旅游地理。该学科点团队教学、科研及社会服务成果显著，在国内外具有较强影响力。
中国旅游业的快速增长，自2012年以来便成为世界第一大旅游客源市场也是全球最重要的旅游目的地之一。中国不仅拥有全世界最大的国内旅游消费市场，并持续五年稳居世界第一旅游消费市场的“宝座”。中国旅游市场已经改变了世界经济的格局，并决定着未来世界经济的发展方向。在此背景下，华中师范大学旅游管理硕士全英文专业建设于2015年，旨在为优秀的国际留学生提供了解中国这一世界最大旅游市场以及中国旅游产业与中国文化的学习机会，并为有志在中国及其他国家和地区从事旅游相关工作的国际留学生提供所需的旅游专业就业技能和知识。
该项目的课程设置规范，在保障旅游研究理论、旅游研究方法的基础上，具有前沿性、国际性和地方性，突出了学科前沿、专业特色、地方特色，凸显了本学科点研究方向。该项目师资团队专业，授课老师均具有国际化背景，在多个国家进行过交流访问，英文能力出色，且教学科研能力突出。该项目研究平台一流，拥有国家旅游局在全国高校设立的唯一一家分院——中国旅游研究院武汉分院。该项目国际交流基础雄厚，通过与美国科罗拉多州立大学联合办学、联合举办国际会议，与加拿大卡尔顿大学、美国肯恩大学等院校建立友好合作关系，已积累了国际上该领域教学科研的先进理念、思路与方法，将使用国际通行的语境与规律，创建学科融合、实践创新的国际化系统化的学科体系。该项目课程内容实用，综合考虑了国际旅游业就业市场和学生就业需求，适用于与旅游相关的广泛就业领域。同时系统的教学结构、多样化的教学方法以及丰富的教学资源也为学生提供了宝贵的学习机会。
