Is admission for Attractions & Theme Park Management is only for people knowledgeable about the industry? The answer is no. There have been quite some misconceptions that you need to be a theme park fan in order to be admitted to the program and in order to understand the materials. I personally knew nothing about theme parks, apart from my own experiences. I applied because of the world of opportunities that opens when graduating. Because regardless of the name, Attractions & Theme Park Management is not meant solely to teach you about theme parks. It provides a core of management, which can be used in all kinds of businesses. And the theories you learn are mostly related to the leisure industry, which again enables a broad range of options later in life. Yes, teachers do share information about specific parks, about concepts and storytelling every day. However, it is an important yet not essential part of the program.

So what kind of knowledge is required in advance? Related to theme parks: just a minimum amount. Sure, some students do have a great amount of knowledge about parks which helps them during the program. In any case, it would be helpful if you have visited at least one theme park, so that you can understand the theories better. The basis of leisure, tourism or hotel management required for admission also is of great help. The more ‘knowledgeable’ students have the advantage that, especially in the beginning, they know more about trends in the industry, can conduct a competitor analysis more easily, and are quicker in concept development because they know the innovations parks have implemented and can be more creative as a result.

To prepare yourself, it is of course nice if you do some brief online research. However, I myself caught up with the rest rather quickly because a lot is discussed in conversations or during classes. Whether you have are very knowledgeable about the topic or not, you can still do this program and find out more along the way. Remember that Attractions & Theme Park Management prepares you to become a manager, not a theme park fan. It can be beneficial to be one, but surely not a requirement.