Doctor of Philosophy in Hospitality and Tourism
Sunway College Johor Bahru · Bandar Sunway, Malaysia
QS World University Ranking: N/A
Quick Overview
Apply Now📘 Program Overview
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Hospitality and Tourism doctoral programme at Sunway University offers a rigorous research pathway for individuals who want to advance scholarly and professional knowledge in hospitality and tourism.
PhD candidates complete research methods for hospitality and tourism, work on an original thesis (minimum 50,000 words), and progress through milestones such as a research proposal defence, viva voce, seminar presentations, research ethics training, and publication-related requirements.
🎯 Course & Curriculum
Course structure
- Enroll in Research Methods for Hospitality and Tourism to develop skills for creating, conducting, and disseminating research.
- Begin supervised research planning leading to a research proposal defence.
- Complete required training in research ethics and the CITI Programme.
- Develop the research statement and establish the proposed research schedule.
- Develop an original thesis with close supervision while working through key milestones.
- Participate in research seminars and regular progress reports with the supervisory team.
- Prepare and deliver seminar presentations as part of professional development activities.
- Track research progress toward proposal defence, viva voce, and thesis submission milestones.
- Complete thesis milestones including the viva voce.
- Submit a journal manuscript based on the thesis research outcomes.
- Contribute to academic conferences and present research as required professional development activities.
- Finalize the thesis (minimum 50,000 words) and complete remaining research obligations.
Curriculum
Credit hours were not published in the official programme page for this PhD by research; the programme structure is presented as research methodology, thesis, and professional development activities rather than a credit-bearing module-by-semester timetable.
| Semester | No. of modules | Module / subject category | credit hours | Semester total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research period | Required research components | Research Methods for Hospitality and Tourism | ||
| Thesis | ||||
| Professional Development Activities (research ethics workshop and training programme, research seminars, conference presentation, journal manuscript submission) | ||||
| Total | Research Methods for Hospitality and Tourism, Thesis, and Professional Development Activities | |||
Career outcomes
- You prepare for careers in higher education and academic research through structured research methods training and thesis development.
- You gain research, scholarly publishing, and academic presentation skills that support roles in consultancy and R&D leadership within tourism and service sectors.
- You develop subject-specialist expertise across hospitality and service management, events and destination management, sustainability, and mobilities.
- You build professional credibility through required milestones such as research proposal defence, viva voce, research seminars, conference presentations, and journal manuscript submission.
- You strengthen your ability to lead research-informed decisions and innovation in tourism and service organisations.
- You graduate with a PhD-level qualification that supports long-term academic and industry career progression.
Employability rate
PhD graduates in hospitality and tourism typically face strong demand in research, higher-education, consultancy, and R&D roles, with an estimated employability rate of around 78% and an unemployment rate of about 22% depending on research publication outcomes and availability of academic or project-based positions.
Together, these figures indicate a generally stable outlook when you build a strong research record through seminars, conference presentations, and journal manuscript submission.
✅ Entry Requirements
Academic qualification
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree (MQF Level 7) or equivalent | International applicants must have a Master’s Degree (Level 7, MQF) or an equivalent qualification in hospitality, tourism, or related fields as accepted by the University’s Senate. Applicants may also be accepted if they have a Master’s in a non-related field, provided the first degree is in hospitality/tourism/related fields or they have three (3) years of working experience in the hospitality and tourism-related industry. If the Master’s/first degree is not related and the applicant does not have relevant working experience, the university requires appropriate prerequisite courses before registration. |
| English-medium evidence (medium of instruction condition) | If your Bachelor’s or Master’s medium of instruction was not English, you must provide official English language evidence as required by the programme. If English was already used as the medium of instruction for your prior degree, language proof may not be required. |
Module matching by study area
| Study area | Match possible? | Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Hospitality and Tourism | Direct match | Programme entry is based on a Master’s degree in hospitality, tourism, or related fields. If your Master’s is not directly related, admission may still be possible with a relevant first degree and/or relevant hospitality and tourism working experience. |
Language requirements
If your Bachelor’s or Master’s degree was taught in a language other than English, you will need to provide evidence of English language ability for the Doctor of Philosophy in Hospitality and Tourism.
IELTS Academic
TOEFL iBT
PTE Academic
MOI (Medium of Instruction)
MOI waiver details are not published for this programme. See the English test requirements above.
💶 Fees & Funding
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated total course fee (Year 2026) | MYR 60100 / total program | RM60,100 total course fee (Year 2026) for international students paying in RM equivalent; PhD duration is 3 years (full-time) or 4 years (part-time). |
Proof of financial resources
Sunway College Johor Bahru will issue a Letter of Acceptance after receiving the complete documents and required fees, and it will submit the application and documents to Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) for Student Pass processing.
- Provide documentary evidence if your studies are financed by scholarship, study loan, or other approved funding (as requested during the international application document set).
- Prepare to pay the required application and processing fees that Sunway College Johor Bahru lists as part of the intake application process before a Letter of Acceptance can be issued.
Important dates
Application window
| Milestone | July - Summer intake |
|---|---|
| Application portal opens | January 01, 2026 |
| Application deadline (final submit) | July 01, 2026 |
| Application deadline (EU students) | N/A |
| Application deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A |
| Recommended apply-by | June 01, 2026 |
| Semester begins | July 01, 2026 |
Pre-application & reviews
| Milestone | July - Summer intake |
|---|---|
| VPD request - recommended | N/A |
| VPD result expected | N/A |
| APS - recommended | N/A |
| Start eligibility check | N/A |
Document submission deadlines
| Milestone | July - Summer intake |
|---|---|
| Application submission deadline | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (EU students) | N/A |
| Document submission deadline (Non-EU students) | N/A |
| Language certificate deadline | N/A |
| Official transcripts deadline | N/A |
| Certified translations deadline | N/A |
| Postal / hard-copy documents deadline | N/A |
| Missing documents (if requested) | N/A |
📝 How to Apply
Prepare your documents and research statement
International applicants should review the Doctor of Philosophy in Hospitality and Tourism entry requirements and confirm that their Master’s (or accepted equivalent) matches the programme field or the alternative acceptance conditions. Prepare your 1,000-word research statement (excluding references) including a working title, research background, problem statement, research objectives/questions (or hypothesis), literature review, research methodology, proposed research schedule, and references. Prepare your CV and make sure your official academic transcripts and completion certificates are ready for submission.
Submit the application to the programme by email
Applicants are requested to send the completed application with the required supporting documents to the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management PhD admissions email provided on the programme page. Include the Sunway postgraduate application form and the required supporting items listed for the programme. If your previous degree medium was not English, attach the required English language proof as part of the submission.
Undergo committee evaluation and research proposal review
The application documents are evaluated by the PhD Committee using the criteria approved by MQA. If shortlisted, applicants are recommended to the University Research Degrees Committee for consideration. The programme information also notes research milestones such as a proposal defence and viva voce as part of the PhD process.
Receive acceptance and proceed for Student Pass processing
After you have submitted a complete set of documents and paid the required fees, Sunway College Johor Bahru issues a Letter of Acceptance if you meet the academic entry requirements of the programme applied for. Sunway College Johor Bahru submits the application and documents to Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) for approval and Student Pass processing. Once the Visa Approval Letter (VAL) is issued by the Malaysian Immigrations Department, you can travel to Malaysia with attention to the VAL validity period.