A doctoral degree is an essential qualification for anyone considering building a lifetime career in academia. When Mainland lecturer Mr. Sun Shenghan began looking for a suitable PhD programme to further his studies, IFTM soon caught his attention.
“IFTM is a renowned institution in tourism and hospitality,” he says. “The quality of the teaching staff and research output are impressive.”
Mr. Sun eventually was accepted for the Institute’s PhD Programme in Hospitality and Tourism Management. He began his academic journey as a PhD candidate in January.
“I am looking forward to my PhD life at IFTM,” he says.
Mr. Sun has clear goals for his studies. “I hope to contribute to the tourism field in terms of my research yielding new achievements, and I also hope to enlarge my professional network,” he states. “If I have any opportunity to be involved in teaching or research programmes, I will be happy.”
Prior to joining the PhD programme, Mr. Sun had, starting in 2015, been teaching courses related to tourism and hospitality at Qingdao Vocational and Technical College of Hotel Management, in Shandong Province. He has a master’s degree in urban ecological planning from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and a bachelor’s degree in management from Shandong Agricultural University.
Mr. Sun was also involved in a 1-year temporary transfer scheme offered by China Education Association for International Exchange. He says the experience allowed him to broaden his horizons, as he was able to work in a variety of settings.
“I got to learn a lot in that year,” he says. “I realised that I needed to improve myself, and decided to engage in a PhD programme.”
Mr. Sun points out it is important for scholars to keep learning new things, and to “stay in tune with times”.
Smooth application process
IFTM welcomed its first batch of PhD students in academic year 2019/2020. The Institute’s research-based PhD programme is designed for candidates who wish to pursue a career in either an academic- or a research-related field. Applicants must have a master’s degree or above.
Mr. Sun is full of praise for the way IFTM handled his application. He says communication was easy, and the entire process ran smoothly.
“Throughout the application and enrolment process, I could feel all the people I contacted at IFTM were really friendly and passionate about providing me with assistance,” he says. “I often received responses right after sending an enquiry.”
Each PhD candidate at IFTM must produce an original piece of research in order to complete such a programme. The PhD programme has a minimum duration of 3 years and a maximum duration of 6 years.
Mr. Sun’s research interests include sustainable tourism development and destination management.
“The Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area anticipates quickening of the pace of achieving Macao’s functional positioning as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure,” he says. “In this regard, Macao is a case worth studying.”
Many topics related to Macao’s tourism sector already have been the focus of research by the IFTM Tourism Research Centre. Mr. Sun hopes to make use of those research findings and of guidance by the Institute’s faculty, to advance knowledge in fields related to his research interests.
