The Escola Universitària de Turisme i Direcció Hotelera (University School of Tourism and Hotel Management), attached to the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, is situated on the university's Bellaterra Campus, which provides all of the services and facilities expected of one of the country's leading universities.

Tourism education is conceived as a combination of theoretical knowledge and its application to the realities of the tourism sector. The school also promotes the development of and undertakes research in the sector. Since its foundation, the School has established and maintained relations with universities and organisations involved in tourism both in Spain and abroad.

A wide range of conferences and seminars, offered by leading personalities from both private companies and public organisations, provide the students with first-hand knowledge of the realities of the sector, through accounts based on their personal experiences.

Formal classroom teaching is complemented with resident practice in the Serhs Hotel Campus and in prestigious companies both in Spain and abroad. Recent graduates and final year students are placed in contact with potential employers at an annual Industry Workshop.

Validation and continuity abroad

Students who have completed either the Tourism or Hotel Management Diploma can acquire the other qualification by completing complementary studies.

Hotel Management graduates, who enrolled through university application procedures are eligible to acquire a Diploma in Tourism, and are required to take a further 57 credits in order to fulfil the requisites. Tourism graduates are required to take 54 credits in the Hotel Management programme in order to qualify for this additional diploma.

Students who have completed either the two programmes may continue their studies at the School of Business Studies of the Coastal Carolina University (CCU) for an additional academic year, thus obtaining a North American Degree in Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a major in Management and concentration in International Tourism Management. The programme requires students to spend a total of 15 months at CCU, combining theoretical study (63 credits) with two periods of industrial placement (9 credits).

Highly specialised training and refresher courses

The Escola Universitària de Turisme i Direcció Hotelera (EUTDH) programme of specialised training, ongoing education and post-graduate courses is based on the belief that this level of education should not simple be a continuation of standard courses, but rather adapt to the professional needs of the business world and the specific needs of the tourism, hospitality and catering sectors. The School attempts to detect existing deficits in highly specialised ongoing training in these fields, and cover them through Masters, post-graduate and specialist programmes, organised by the School in collaboration with other university centres or institutions within the tourism sector. The EUTDH made courses are also organised ad hoc to cover specific needs of companies or organisations on request.