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IN HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

One of the fastest growing and largest sectors of the global economy. Many hospitality organizations can be entered at the lowest levels without formal training. But as you proceed up the career ladder (or start your own venture), you're going to need to level up your skills. Whether your ideal hospitality setting is a hotel, resteraunt, or experience, hospitality management-related degrees can help you get ahead in the work force.

Top hospitality degree program rankings

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Degree programs that offer the best of what working or aspiring hospitality professionals need.

Hospitality Management Careers

Hospitality is a wide-ranging field encompassing hotels, recreation, entertainment, travel, and experiences. Below are some of the most common job titles in marketing, management, business, and specific hospitality-related functions.

At Hospitality Management Degrees we the best resources and original research to find the proper hospitality managment and degree program for you.

Hospitality is one of the largest economic categories worldwide. Unsurprisingly, there are many degree programs meant to prepare students for a variety of hospitality roles. While it's hard to go wrong with more hospitality-related education, choosing a degree type that most directly relates to your career goals can save you time, money, and lead to the rewarding hospitality-related career you imagine.

Associates in Hospitality Management

Associate's in Hospitality Management

Associate's degrees in hospitality management are a solid first step for those seeking to advance into the managerial ranks in hospitality settings. As with most associate's degrees, 60 credit hours are required for graduation. Many bachelor's programs allow for seamless transfer of these credits into baccalaureate-level programs as well. Common course work for associate's in hospitality management include business and management fundamentals, accounting, marketing, sales, and domain-specific courses on food sanitation, restaurant settings, and lodging operations. Many associate's programs allow for students to specialize in a given setting, and many offer practicums for hands-on experience.

Associate's in Restaurant Management

Associate's degrees in restaurant management can help to provide a great foundation for those seeking to obtain basic knowledge of business practices with greater emphasis on how they apply to restaurant settings. Specific course work common to associate's-level restaurant management degrees includes an emphasis on production kitchen management, planning of events and catering, dining room management, customer service management, property management and security, and management of inventory. As with most associate's degrees, 60 credit hours are required for graduation.

Bachelor's in Hospitality Management

Bachelor's in Hospitality Management

Bachelor's degrees in hospitality management are the de facto entry point to managerial ranks of hospitality entities. With many offered fully online and with flexibility-enhancing components, students can often accelerate time-until-degree or balance their course work with full time work in a hospitality setting. Degree programs often require 120 credit hours including general education requirements, business foundations, and hospitality courses. Specific courses often offered in bachelor's in hospitality management degrees include managmenet courses, financial accounting, quality assurance management, food service systems, conference management, and hotel management. Additionally, many programs allow students to specialize their course work for specific goals. These specializations often include food service, lodging, meeting and event planning, hotel management, and tourism.

Bachelor's in Tourism and Hospitality Management

Bachelor's degrees in tourism and hospitality management are similar to hospitality management degrees, but often include a greater percentage of coursework related to conference management, event management, and marketing. Additional course work may include looking at tourism, events, and lodging from a legal perspective, as well as looking particularly at resorts and sports management. While there are many similarities between hospitality management and tourism management, tourism encompasses a much wider range of events and venues: stadiums, sporting events, festivals, and marketing for destinations and experiences.

Bachelor's in Business with an Emphasis in Hospitality

Some Bachelor's degrees that focus on hospitality are closer to straight up business degrees, offering the core coursework of business or business administration bachelor's. These degrees often include courses in entrepreneurship, small business accounting, financial management, business ethics and legal issues, and international business. Students will then often cater their business or business administration degree by selecting 3-6 courses in a hospitality management-related specialization. Common courses offered in the specialization might include restaurant operations, dining room management, bar management, event management, or hospitality marketing.

Bachelor's in Hospitality Leadership

Similarly to how business degrees with hospitality management concentrations integrate hospitality courses into a degree as a specialization, hospitality leadership degrees focus on leadership with some hospitality courses. Core coursework includes hospitality courses such as lodging management, beverage operations, hospitality marketing, event planning, and restaurant management. Leadership components of bachelor's level hospitality leadership degrees often include strategic management courses, leadership courses, human resources courses, and courses on analyzing financial performance of hospitality businesses. For students with some previous business knowledge who are looking for a more management-centered degree, hospitality leadership degrees can be a great fit.

Master's in Hospitality Management

Master's in Hospitality Management

Master's in Hospitality Management degrees play a significant role in establishing the upper echelon of hospitality management ranks worldwide. Positions like director of marketing for a hotel, or general manager positions will often prefer applicants to hold a master's in hospitality management. Hospitality management master's degrees generally start with a core of business, management, and leadership courses. They then delve in greater detail into subjects like human resources, operations management, marketing and finance from the point of view of a hospitality establishment. Master's in hospitality management commonly require around 34 credit hours to complete, which often takes 1-2 years.

Hospitality Management MBA Programs

Hospitality Management MBA's

For students who are already considering an MBA and already or think they might want to work in the hospitality field, there are few degrees that are less battle tested. Hospitality Management MBAs often consist of a full MBA program with a concentration in hospitality management. Concentrations in MBA programs often range from 3-5 courses. So students in Hospitality Management MBAs are taking less hospitality courses than a master's, but are getting a well rounded look at business topics. Furthermoer, many MBA programs have been around online for years. Subsequently, many of these programs have honed their methods of delivery, offering extreme flexibility and the ability to greatly accelerate time-until degree.

Graduate Certificates in Hospitality Management

Certificates for College Credit

Some of the best hospitality management and business schools on the planet allow college degree-holders to take graduate credit for certificates online. Many certificate programs range from 3-7 graduate-level courses and are often similar to the concentration component in say a hospitality management MBA. Graduate certificates that are applicable to many hospitality management positions include certificates in food and beverage management, hotel management, accounting, event planning, recreation management, hotel marketing, digital marketing, and culinary arts.

Professional Development and Open Education Certificates

A wide range of certificates are also available through MOOC providers and professional associations for hospitality management. Though these certificates most often do not offer university credit, there's growing acceptance of open online education among the business community. Plus, the price point is often much lower (if not free), not to mention that many MOOC progressions and professional association curricula are often updated more frequently than academic offerings. Check out our MOOC-Curriculum for hospitality management today if interested!

Hospitality Management PhD Programs

Ph.D's in Hospitality Management

Ph.D's in Hospitality Management are the final stop for expertise and high level research in the field. While few job openings outside of academia will specify the need for a Ph.D in Hospitality Management, for those seeking to open their own consulting firm, work in higher education, or fill the ranks of the top analysts for major hospitality corporations, a Ph.D is the one of the ultimate ways to set yourself apart. Most Ph.D programs in hospitality management require 3-7 years to complete, and many are offered by some of the top universities in the world.

Hospitality Management Resources

HospitalityManagementDegrees.net was founded with the goal of providing a solid knowledge base for those in hospitality industries. That's why we include a wide range of informative features on hospitality management, including guides on careers, information on how to get your first job in hospitality management, and information on educational paths. Check out some of our most popular resources below.

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