MSc International Festival And Event Management

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at 2:2 or above. We look for applicants to have a background in any discipline in order to be eligible for the programme. Please note this is a conversion programme and may not be suitable for those with an academic background in event management.

We may also consider lesser qualifications if you have sufficient professional work experience within the industry.

The University does not sponsor students to study on part-time programmes in the UK under the Student Visa route. International Applicants must therefore have other valid immigration leave to study on this programme.

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Usually, unrelated work experience is not considered sufficient for entry without meeting the minimum academic entry requirements. Please contact us with your specific circumstances by submitting an enquiry form above and we will be happy to discuss your options.

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the postgraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form.

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more

Please see our website for funding opportunities

By studying International Festivals & Event Management at Edinburgh Napier University, you will be equipped with the knowledge you need to successfully plan, coordinate, and manage festivals and events of all sizes, from smaller community events to larger national and international events and festivals. You will also gain knowledge on how to devise policies and strategies for the festival and event industry. This specialized degree attracts individuals who are detailed oriented, organised, creative, and passionate about people and communities across the globe. Gaining a degree in International Festivals & Events Management gives you discipline-specific knowledge and skills, but it is not restrictive. You will gain a range of highly desirable transferable (meta) skills, including teamwork, communication, project management, people management, and presentation skills, which are valued by employers within, but also outside the Events sector.

What does a Festival Director do?
A Festival Director is responsible for overseeing and managing the planning, organization, and execution of a festival or cultural event. Their role is multifaceted, involving artistic direction, logistics, financial management, marketing, and overall leadership. The specific responsibilities of a Festival Director can vary depending on the nature and size of the festival.

Daily tasks and responsibilities in this role may include: 

• Post-Festival reporting
• Marketing & Promotion
• Budget management
• Strategic Direction
• Funding & Sponsorship

You’ll develop skills such as formulating policy and planning for the future, as well as developing your softer skills in the likes of time management, project management, and formal presentations.

You’ll also develop business and marketing skills that relate specifically to the design, management and evaluation of large and small-scale events and festivals with an international focus.

Through lectures, guest speakers and case studies, you’ll develop an advanced understanding of the contemporary issues and key concepts involved in the international festival and event industry.

With our close connections within Edinburgh’s festivals community, and the large number of tourist ventures and operations in or near the city and further afield, you’ll have plenty of options for part-time work and opportunities for employment after graduation.

If starting in January you may have the opportunity to gain some of your own work experience by gaining employment within the sector during Edinburgh’s summer festivals, for example the Festival Fringe, International Festival, or Jazz and Blues Festival.

How will my degree reflect sustainability and sustainable development?

The Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) – established under the UN Global Compact – places a clear onus on Higher Education to ‘transform management education and develop the responsible decision-makers of tomorrow to advance sustainable development’. The Business School is a PRME signatory, and we seek to influence professional practice and policy nationally and internationally, helping to drive key societal, economic and environmental impacts.

Our mission is ‘to empower communities to apply business knowledge for positive societal impact’ and we work constantly to embed practical actions into our curriculum, to promote sustainability and relate these to the key ideas of sustainability, as reflected in the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes now reflect one or more of the SDG, and our research is targeted to solve real world problems, mapped against the criteria used in the Times Higher Education’s Impact Ranking. 

The most recent annual league table for Sustainability - compiled by People & Planet, the UK’s largest student campaigning network - again places Edinburgh Napier in a top 3 position among Scotland’s 19 universities. This reflects their assessment of our performance across a range of environmental and ethical considerations, which include carbon reduction and management, and education.

What is distinct about equality, diversity and inclusion?

Edinburgh Napier University is enriched by the diversity of perspectives, cultures and backgrounds brought by all within our global community. We are committed to a positive environment where diversity and inclusiveness is celebrated and everyone is treated fairly regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, age, ethnic origin, religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status or whether pregnant or on maternity leave. We commit ourselves to providing a learning, working and social environment that is free from discrimination, prejudice, intimidation, stigmatisation and all forms of harassment and bullying.

The Business School's vision: 'To be the Business School for empowerment, enterprise and employability for all'.

Our mission statement: 'Empowering our communities to apply business knowledge for positive societal impact'.

Modules

• Festival and Event Management
• Business Skills for Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management
• Experience Design and Management for Tourism, Hospitality and Events
• Contemporary Issues in Festivals and Events
• Two option*
• Research Methods
• Dissertation

* Optional modules for Sept 2019 (subject to change): International Business Event Management; Managing Heritage Tourism; Managing International Hospitality Organisations; Natural Area Tourism; New Venture Planning; Tourism Concepts and Issues; Tourism, Society and Visual Culture; Case Studies in International Tourism; Destination Marketing; Developing Intercultural Competence in the Workplace.