The University of Otago has deleted the bachelor of tourism from its roster of conferred degrees, and the qualification will revert to a major subject in the bachelor of commerce degree.
Otago deputy vice-chancellor academic and international Prof Vernon Squire told university council members this week undergraduates would still be able to study tourism, but the degree structure had been "slightly reconfigured" and a BCom would now be conferred on graduates.
A university spokeswoman said a decision by the department of tourism "a few years ago" during a reconfiguration of the BCom's "academic core" had been an indicator for change.
The decision to teach tourism as a major subject within the commerce degree has also occurred for honours students.
"Because BTour and BTour (hons) students were still in the system, it was necessary to leave the degree on the books so that these students could graduate," she said.
The council's approval to delete the tourism degree was simply "simply a routine tidy-up of the degree regulations", she said.
Department of Tourism head Prof James Higham could not be contacted yesterday.
