Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School
Encyclopedia
The Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) is an Australian higher education provider of hotel management education, with campuses in Leura
Leura, New South Wales
Leura is a suburb in the City of Blue Mountains Local Government Area 109 km west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the series of small towns stretched along the Blue Mountains railway line and Great Western Highway that bisects the Blue Mountains National Park. It is...

 and Sydney, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

Since 1991, the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School has provided qualifications in hospitality
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...

, event management
Event management
Event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of festivals, events and conferences.Event management involves studying the intricacies of the brand, identifying the target audience, devising the event concept, planning the logistics and coordinating the...

 and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 management to over 2,500 graduates.
The School currently delivers the following courses:
  • Bachelor of Business (International Hotel and Resort Management)
  • Bachelor of Business (International Event Management)
  • Master of International Hotel Management


The undergraduate
Undergraduate education
Undergraduate education is an education level taken prior to gaining a first degree . Hence, in many subjects in many educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree, such as in the United States, where a university entry level is...

 Bachelor degree is a business degree with a specalisation to prepare students for a career in hotel or event management. The postgraduate
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...

 degree in International Hotel Management is designed for those who wish to enter the hospitality industry or build on their experience in the industry.

BMIHMS is now one of the hotel Schools within Laureate Hospitality Education
Laureate International Universities
Laureate International Universities is a global network of more than 50 for-profit , accredited campus-based and online institutions of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 550,000 students around the world. LIU spans 21 countries and more than 100...

.

History

Officially opened by the then NSW Premier, the Hon. Nick Greiner, MP on 13 May 1991, the School was the first in Australia to promote an internationally recognised hotel management program
Hospitality management studies
Hospitality management is the academic study of the hospitality industry. A degree in Hospitality management is often conferred from either a university college dedicated to the studies of hospitality management or a business school with a department in hospitality management studies...

.

Under the guidance of an International Industry Advisory Board, the School developed an educational model in which students live and study in a fully operational simulated hotel environment.

In January 2005, the School also commenced its English Language Program, delivered by specialist teachers on campus for students wishing to improve their language level for entry to the undergraduate programs.

In September 2005, the BMIHMS acquired operation of the Australian International Hotel School
Australian International Hotel School
The Australian International Hotel School is a university-level provider of hotel management education, located in Canberra, Australia’s Capital...

, a private university-level provider of hotel management education, located in Canberra, Australia’s national capital.

Following a major refurbishment and extension of campus facilities in October 2006, the School announced the commencement of a new strategic partnership with the School of Tourism at The University of Queensland
University of Queensland
The University of Queensland, also known as UQ, is a public university located in state of Queensland, Australia. Founded in 1909, it is the oldest and largest university in Queensland and the fifth oldest in the nation...

, the only other World Tourism Organisation (WTO) accredited educator in Australia. The University of Queensland quality endorses the School’s own Bachelor of Business degree that accepted its first intake in 2009.

November 2008 marked the most significant corporate change for the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School when the privately owned school was bought by Laureate Education Inc, becoming part of a global education network.

The School won the National Award for Tourism Education and Training at the Tourism National Awards held in Hobart Tasmania on 26 February 2010.

Other finalists included
Canberra Institute of Technology, Challenger TAFE, Griffith University, University of South Australia, Skycity Darwin, Holmesglen, Eco and Adventure Guide Training.

In September 2011 BMIHMS opened a new campus in downtown Sydney for final year undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The Master of International Hotel Management degree will commence in January 2012.

Academic structure

Blue Mountains offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs:
  • Bachelor of Business in hotel or event management and provides students with a business-focused education and training in all areas of hospitality management. It includes practical skills training, as well as paid employment and training with employers in Australia and abroad.


As part of their study, students complete two semesters of industry placement in hotel and tourism organisations either within Australia or overseas.
  • The Master of International Hotel Management program allows students to build on their business knowledge while learning core hospitality skills.

Campus

The BMIHMS Leura campus is in the Blue Mountains, 90 km west of Sydney. The Blue Mountains campus is run by students for students as simulated hotel, so students can gain experience in all aspects of hotel management.

The School’s teaching facilities include lecture and seminar rooms, commercial kitchens, training restaurants, and computer labs.

The BMIHMS Sydney campus is located at Sydney Town Hall in the central business district. Facilities include lecture theatres, computer labs and student lounges.

Accreditation

BMIHMS holds full national and state accreditation within Australia, including:
  • Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (National level)

More and more overseas students are choosing Australia as their preferred study destination. Education offered in Australia to international students is highly regulated by the Federal Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
  • New South Wales Department of Education & Training (State level)

BMIHMS is on the Register of Higher Education, and the accreditation process ensures that courses are equivalent to a qualification of that level in a similar field in other Australian higher education institutions, including universities.

BMIHMS is also accredited with the following:
  • Institute of Hospitality

BMIHMS has attained accreditation for its programs from the Institute of Hospitality, the only internationally recognised professional management association for managers in hospitality, leisure and tourism.
  • THE-ICE

BMIHMS is a member of The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism & Hospitality Education (THE-ICE), which is an independent, not-for-profit organisation.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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