Arab News, Wednesday, Apr 06, 2022 | Ramadan 5, 1443
Saudi Tourism Ministry, PNU launch English and French tourism diplomas
Saudi Arabia: The Saudi Ministry of
Tourism has announced the launch of two new higher diploma programs in tourism,
in partnership with the Deanship of Postgraduate Studies at Princess Nourah bint
Abdulrahman University in Riyadh.
Launched and introduced in two new foreign
languages, English and French, the two programs aim to elevate the standards and
qualifications of Saudi tourism sector workers and empower women in the field.
The ministry said on Twitter: “In partnership with
Princess Nourah University, we are pleased to offer two higher diploma programs
in the field of tourism launched in two languages including English and French.
These two programs are the first programs of their kind in Saudi universities,
with the aim of preparing professionally qualified cadres in various fields of
tourism according to the highest standards.”
Applicants must achieve specific scores in related
tests to qualify for the programs, including a minimum score of 65 in the
Post-Graduate General Aptitude Test. They must also complete a bachelor’s degree
in related majors with a grade of at least B or C+.
Those who wish to apply to the French diploma
programs must obtain level A2 in the DELF (Diplome d’etudes en langue
francaise), TEF (Test d’Evaluation de Francais), or other French-language
equivalent tests.
For the English diploma program, applicants must
score at least 5.5 on the Academic IELTS (International English Language Testing
System) or equivalent test.
The tourism diploma program lasts for one year,
with a total credit of 28 hours and total fee of SR22,400 ($5,970)
PNU offers a range of about 20 master’s degree
programs, including several interdisciplinary and international
collaboration-based programs. The university has been working to introduce
programs that keep pace with local and global developments, and meet the needs
of the labor market in line with Vision 2030.
Although Saudi universities offer Arabic diploma
programs in tourism, the addition of English and French programs is a bonus in
attracting visitors to the Kingdom.
According to the Kingdom’s Unified National
Platform, one of the most important criteria that Saudi tourist guide license
applicants must meet is mastering at least one foreign language.
There are 1,233 licensed Saudi tour guides in the
Kingdom, according to the Ministry of Tourism. The Saudi Tour Guides Association
aims to increase the number of licensed male and female tour guides to 13,000 by
2030.