Hospitality Management

Overview

Hospitality management programs prepare people to manage hotels, bed and breakfasts, cruise ships, resorts, and other hospitality facilities. These programs are sometimes called hotel management, resort management, or hotel administration.

Students learn to supervise staff and oversee operations and development. They also learn to plan and market services and other features at their facilities.

Hospitality management programs include topics such as:

Personnel management
Marketing
Business administration
Customer service

Concentrations

In hospitality management programs, students may be able to specialize in:

Resort management
Hospitality administration
Hotel/motel administration
Casino management
Restaurant management

Schools

Many community colleges and two-year schools offer associate degree programs in hospitality management. An associate degree program usually takes two years of full-time study.

Many colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in hospitality management. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.

Some universities offer graduate degrees in hospitality management. A master's degree typically requires two years of study beyond a bachelor's degree. Doctoral (PhD) degree programs usually require two or more years of study beyond the master's degree.

See schools that offer this program.

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Program Admission

You can prepare for this program by taking courses in high school that prepare you for college. This typically includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.

A personal interview and related volunteer or work experience may be required as well.

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Accounting
Blueprint Reading
Business and Applied English
Business Computer Applications
Business Math
Economics
Hospitality
Introduction to Business
Marketing
Psychology
Recordkeeping
Second Language
Travel and Tourism
World Geography

Graduate Admissions

Admission to graduate programs is competitive. You need a bachelor's degree and good grades. You also need to submit letters of recommendation and a personal statement.

Although your bachelor's degree does not have to be in any particular major, it would be helpful to take several courses in accounting, finance, marketing, and hospitality, if possible.

Additional requirements at many schools include:

Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT)
Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General
Personal interview
Related work experience

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

In this undergraduate program, you typically take courses such as the following:

Business Communication
Business Law
Economics
Food and Beverage Cost Control
Front Office Operations
Hospitality Facilities Design
Hotel Management and Operations
Housekeeping Management
Human Resources and Behavior in the Hospitality Industry
Laws of Innkeeping and Food Service
Lodging Systems
Managerial Accounting
Marketing
Organizational Behavior and Interpersonal Skills
Purchasing and Inventory Control
Quality Assurance Management
Real Estate Finance and Investments
Resort Development and Management
Retail and Consumer Behavior
Rooms Division Management
Sanitation and Safety
Security and Loss Prevention Management
Training and Development

Graduate Program Courses

Course work in graduate programs varies. However, the outline of a typical master's degree curriculum looks like the following:

Required core courses
Elective courses based on your research interests
Thesis

Many programs, both undergraduate and graduate, require you to complete a practicum or externship as part of their curriculum. This is a hands-on opportunity to apply what you've learned to real-life hospitality settings.

You might assist at the front desk of a hotel, greeting guests and scheduling reservations. You might assist with the facilities and operations of a ski lodge. Or, you could help review the operations of a motel, making sure it meets regulations and laws. You might even be involved with securing the real estate for new locations of a chain of resorts in the Caribbean!

Whatever the setting and application, you benefit from the guidance and direct supervision of an experienced hospitality manager.

Things to Know

This program lends itself to interdisciplinary study. Many programs allow you to combine a degree in hospitality management with a degree in another program such as business administration or restaurant and food services management.

If you plan to work internationally in this field you may find it helpful to take college courses in a second language or world cultures.