September 8, 2021
The Foundation collaborated in the planning and organization of the new bachelor's degree in tourism and sustainable development from the National School of Higher Studies at UNAM in León, Guanajuato. Despite the pandemic, the planning and organization team, made up of UNAM experts, external advisors, and the Vidanta Foundation, continued designing the bachelor's degree, which the Honorable University Council of UNAM approved on September 8. With this approval, UNAM now offers options for 131 professions. The new degree program is scheduled to start in the second semester of 2022.
The curriculum provides comprehensive training on tourism and sustainable development with an emphasis on socioeconomic, social, and environmental issues. Coursework is divided into 11 fields of knowledge: mathematics, tourism, administration, environmental and sustainable sciences, communications, foreign languages, economics, social impacts, humanism, regional impacts, and political analysis. Teaching will take place in person at the school. The program is designed to be completed in 10 semesters, and includes 59 subjects–47 compulsory courses and 12 electives–for a total of 449 credits.
The objective is to train critical and reflective professionals who are capable of managing tourism initiatives with an emphasis on sustainable development. They will be able to contribute to the social and economic development of tourist destinations and communities while safeguarding natural and cultural resources. They will also advocate for public policies that protect human and natural rights and encourage a sustainable approach, gender equality, and inclusion, among other priorities.
According to the Opinion of the Academic Council of the Area of Biological, Chemical, and Health Sciences, "With the creation of this degree program, UNAM has expanded its academic offering to include a degree that impacts the national economy and the conservation and protection of the biodiversity that characterizes our territory.
“The combination of tourism and sustainable development in the curriculum will prepare students for the existing labor market and imbue them with a sense of responsibility toward economic and social development and environmental protection.”