The University of Tourism and Management in Skopje mission is to ensure academic success and achievements for the students at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the field of tourism, economy, human resources management, entrepreneurship, international marketing management and information technologies. The UTMS is streaming towards high quality education by continuously creating the most competitive conditions for acquiring knowledge, skills and competences in the aforementioned fields. The students are enabled to gain high quality academic knowledge with access to diverse expertise and skills in order to become productive and skilled professionals and responsible citizens in a diverse and dynamic global market environment. The UTMS permanently promotes regional as well global economic development, leadership development, applying the principles of the ethics, and the development of long-term life skills. UTMS has clearly defined mission to provide first-class education for the students. In an increasingly globalized world, a prominent university must be able to prepare undergraduates, graduates and doctoral students for a career in the international arena. UTMS educates students to become well-prepared for both domestic and international career. UTMS study programs are highly ranked and created in accordance with the need of business sector and society requirements, which means that students from all over the world choose to study at UTMS in order to achieve personal development. In addition, our study programs are designed to ensure and foster ideas and practices of active, critical, and engaged citizenship as a sine qua non for a living and viable democracy. Obtaining such competencies is inevitable for creation of a good learning environment for all students, teach active citizenship, and become active citizens themselves.
The above mentioned UTMS’s key strategy objectives reflect the fact that internationalization is a key component that should help the university to achieve its’ sets goals. In order internationalization to have the desired impact it needs to encompasses all levels of the university. That is why a number of internationalization goals in the areas of research, education, culture and environment have been identified. For education is important that the overall goals should facilitate an international perspective in all our study programs, that our students can spend part of their study period abroad, that our strong and innovation areas provide study programs to be attractive to foreign students and that we develop joint courses and programs with our international partners and creates opportunities for international carriers. The possibility university academic and administrative staff to get best experiences from respected HEI from abroad as well to develop their academic and research capabilities through participation on cooperative projects reinforced university capacities to deliver internationally recognized academic and scientific outcomes.
The participation in the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education is critical for the successfully implementation of UTMS’s institutional as well as educational and internationalization strategy. UTMS emphasizes the need of mobility of individuals, participation in cooperative projects and improvements of study programs and students’ experience as crucial for fully achievement of all strategic goals. One of the most important university internationalization and modernization strategy pillars is participation in the Erasmus Programme that provides well established system and criteria for realization of international cooperation activities and ensure that cooperation activities lead to sustainable and society recognized outcomes with strong impact and benefits for all stakeholders.
UTMS chose partner universities on a number of criteria that not only meet our own strategy but also facilitates a long-term relationship with possibilities for in-depth cooperation. The University is actively seeking to engage with the partners that share the notion of Erasmus internationalization with common objectives and complementary activities. This includesjoint courses, projects, multiple degrees via programs such as Erasmus, as well as exchange of academics, researchers and administrative staff. UTMS strategy aims that all continents should be represented among the partner universities, but geographic scope should be of lower importance than meeting UTMS international policy as well as having good international reputation. The University sought and selected the new partners with complimentary courses and research area of interest as well as external recognition of high quality education standards, mainly HEI holders of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education. UTMS considers signing Erasmus Agreement as a basic requirement for establishment of long-term cooperative arrangements with obligation for regular reviews and renewals. For outgoing mobility UTMS selects staff and students that are highly motivated to add value to their academic, professional, social and intercultural skills and to raise possibilities for their employability. For incoming mobility we are interested to attract individuals who can easily integrated and add value to UTMS assisting us to fulfillment of our vision to keep the position of one of the most popular and respected universities in the country and the region of SEE.The University active engagement in learning mobility accompanied with participation in the Erasmus actions that foster cooperation among organizations and institutions is consider as a contribution of the main goal of building a European Education Area.
UTMS will continue to foster intense, structured and long-term cooperation with identified and new partners with same interests. In accordance with the requirements of the Law for Higher Education of the Republic of North Macedonia, UTMS developed and permanently improved compatibility of study programs following study programs and new innovations of HEI ranked on the top 500 World Universities Shanghai List, based on already signed agreements with aforementioned institutions.
UTMS believes that such designed study programs will not only enhance employability of our students which is defined as crucial task in our university mission, but will also be considered as strong evidence of UTMS overall quality. This is UTMS most important objective, to enhance education quality, to support innovation and to meet demands for skilled graduates on an international market. This can be implemented only through fully commitment to provide international opportunities as a part of our curriculum.
UTMS aims to increase the number of students on undergraduate and master level who engage in an international experience, including a semester or one year exchange, or a short internship abroad, or participation in events like students’ conferences, seminars and summer schools. Moreover, UTMS will continue to use returning staff and students to encourage future outward mobility, but also as a tool for attracting new students’ enrollment. For the purpose of this determination, the University will further encourage equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion in a respectful learning environment without discrimination and harassment. UTMS will promote policies and practices to cope with new challenges of living together (violence,xenophobia, racism, political alienation, etc.).
The University goal for year 2025 is that majority of UTMS graduates have studied at least one semester on English abroad. Most of the programs on Master level will be taught in English, while most of the PhD students have to spend a part of their studies and practical research abroad. During this stay they have to publish their research papers in scientific international journals from the Web of Science.
UTMS will keep the policy to support and encourage academic staff to apply for exchange. International experience will be threatened as additional value and will help in academic and overall institutional promotion.
The University is committed to valuing the rights, responsibilities and dignity of individuals through commitment to equal opportunities and diversity, so participation in staff mobility is promoted to all and allocated fairly. Moreover, participation on academic international conferences and publication of papers in scientific international journals is obligatory for professors who work at UTMS, as well requirement for employment of new staff members. All academic vacancies will be only for professors and researchers with an international background.
The university is fully committed in creation of better living world and care for the environment in order to have an inspiring and 100% sustainable place to work and study.OurEnvironment policy values are aimed at ensuring inclusiveness, sustainability and application of smart solutions in order to provide lifelong learning opportunities for the key competencies for sustainable development and give all our students, employees and stakeholders access to sustainable options.