Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme Park'

[Jordanovichy]

Slightly ambiguous topic title but this is how ITV portrayed it on their news page.

Staffordshire University are working with Alton Towers to offer a 2 year degree course in 'Visitor Attraction and Resort Management'.

20 students will be recruited on the course which begins this coming September and they will receive 18 weeks paid work experience at Staffordshire's favourite theme park.

You can see the whole article here.

http://www.itv.com/news/central/2015-01 ... heme-park/

what do you think about this? I reckon it'll be good IF you are keen to get straight into the business, but if only Alton Towers are working with the scheme will other parks (probably other than Merlin at least) appreciate the degree for a job at their parks? The work experience makes me hope they would but it is a tough one.

 

[Martyn B]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

Get ready for multiple "xxxx park management should be sent there! Lolzzzz"

 

[jj23w]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

Merlin do work experience everywhere I know Chessington and Lego do because we have 3 batches in the year alone. Plus the university lot such as: Holloway and Reading get jobs with merlin because they go searching for people.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

Get ready for multiple "xxxx park management should be sent there! Lolzzzz"

Merlin's own management should be on the course let's be honest...

 

[Mike]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

Visitor Attraction Management is difficult; it was my lowest grade in my final year of uni and didn't even count towards my final degree (we swapped our 2 lowest from final year for our 2 best the previous year!

 

[furie]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

They've been doing something very similar for quote a few years now, only just not as formal. The Alton Towers archive page thingy was supported by Alton as a part of a degree by a student. Sheffield Uni support a fair ground archive too as part of one of their courses.

There's good stuff if you look around

 

[PeskyTrimBrake]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

Very interesting! Just when my goal into going into the business went as 2nd choice for college. Very Tempting.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

There's been courses like this in the Netherlands for a couple of years now! Its interesting, but I can't help feel that these courses are ALL too linked to certain parks/companies. There's a themed design course st SCAD in Georgia and its run by a bunch of Imagineers... The Dutch course is heavily linked to Efteling, and this Alton?

If you're considering this course, I'd advise going to study in the Netherlands. The course is in English.

 

[Dar]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

Judging by the way Staffs runs itself, I wouldn't be too confident about learning how to run a brewery knees-up from them, let alone a theme park!

 

[Hyde]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

Is it taught by Chris Sawyer?

 

[SilverArrow]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

There are quite a few tourism management type degrees and masters already, this particular one just seems a bit more specific. Interesting anyway.

 

[furie]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

Judging by the way Staffs runs itself, I wouldn't be too confident about learning how to run a brewery knees-up from them, let alone a theme park!

Is that the bitter voice of experience?

 

[Dar]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

Judging by the way Staffs runs itself, I wouldn't be too confident about learning how to run a brewery knees-up from them, let alone a theme park!

Is that the bitter voice of experience?

Absolutely, and I'm not done yet! Placement year and then I'm off to Stoke because Staffordshire university apparently doesn't suit Stafford!

It's ok though, at least town will be nice and quiet once the students leave and the squaddies arrive!

 

[furie]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

It's good to know that it hasn't changed in the last 20 years then

Town's been quiet since they moved everyone to Stafford Court in '96 and pushed the uni as the social hub - then made it the worst social hub in the world :lol:

When I left, it was clear it was all about making money and that was priority. Students seemed to just be something that got in the way of the profits. I suspect this sponsored course has undertones of that too...

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

But Mukky Duck

 

[Dar]

Re: Staffordshire Uni to offer degree, 'how to run a Theme P

It's good to know that it hasn't changed in the last 20 years then

Town's been quiet since they moved everyone to Stafford Court in '96 and pushed the uni as the social hub - then made it the worst social hub in the world :lol:

When I left, it was clear it was all about making money and that was priority. Students seemed to just be something that got in the way of the profits. I suspect this sponsored course has undertones of that too...

It was made quite clear that it's a business designed to make money! :lol: They do seem to have fairly good relations with Towers though, they often have audition workshops at the Stoke campus during the year and they're always at the careers fairs.

But Mukky Duck

Ew.