Bangalore: MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global today announced the third year of the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in the travel and tourism industry. The program was launched in 2006 to empower women executives through education to realize their full potential. It comprises 20 scholarships for the U21Global Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration.

The program is intended for graduates who want to develop skills in the management and marketing of tourism and travel products and programs. It is designed to provide participants with a solid foundation in core management subjects, and is aimed at providing students with a firm grounding in basic management capabilities. Core subjects include Organizational Behavior, Finance, Marketing Management and Strategic Management.

The course can articulate into the University of Nottingham MSc in Tourism and Travel Management which has been developed by Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, a part of Nottingham University Business School, and U21Global, a leader in quality graduate online education for working executives and professionals.

"Many of the scholarship holders from the last two years are women in middle to senior level management. A number of them have worked up the ranks over the years to get to their current positions. The U21Global Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration offers them a solid foundation in business management and a recognized qualification which will give them an additional competitive edge as they make the next leap up the corporate ladder," said Dr. Helen Lange, Dean, Business Management Programs, U21Global.

Since its inauguration, 40 women have been awarded the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in travel and tourism. The scholars are professionals from a broad spectrum of the industry, from hotels and airlines to travel and tour operators.

Students access online classrooms which provide course content and a variety of interactive communication features, including message boards, threaded discussions and chat rooms. This special online learning community allows scholars to have access to a wide range of speakers and mentors, and creates additional networking opportunities. Studying online also helps scholars better manage their work and educational commitments.

The 20 scholarships are made possible by a grant from MasterCard Worldwide.

"MasterCard is committed to women’s advancement and we would like to encourage women in the travel and tourism industry to upgrade their skills and meet their professional goals through this scholarship program. We'd especially like to encourage more women from the Middle East and South Africa to apply this year," said Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.