A hospitality management degree equips students for leadership and operations careers in hotels, restaurants, and travel and tourism organizations.
Hospitality management programs feature specialized business training for the lodging, food service, and tourism sectors. Graduates with a hospitality management degree can manage the finances, facilities, and operations for restaurants, hotels, and events and attractions. They can also apply their business training to leadership positions in other industries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the creation of 900,000 new management positions 2020-30. This promising sector includes lodging, facilities, and food service management positions. Here, we explore the hospitality management degree and rank the best available programs in the field. To produce the rankings below, we pull and curate data from reputable publicly available sources and lean on the insight from field experts. ZDNet’s ranking methodology also includes a proprietary algorithm that weighs multiple factors when listing schools and programs. Unless otherwise indicated, data is drawn from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, College Scorecard, and each program’s website. Most hospitality management degrees require students to complete approximately 120 credits and four years of training. The programs often combine general education with core business and hospitality-focused courses. Learners develop core skills in communication, problem-solving, and leadership, plus specialized skills in finance, marketing, customer service, and health and safety. Like business tracks, hospitality management programs feature substantial practical training. Students demonstrate their capabilities via group assignments, presentations, internships, and capstone projects. In some hospitality and management programs, students can specialize in an industry of their choice, such as lodging, food service, and event management. Hospitality management programs prepare learners to lead within the service industry. In addition to picking up widely applicable business skills, students learn to manage the communications, operations, and finances of tourism and hospitality organizations. Many programs provide key management courses for hospitality sectors including food preparation, lodging, and event and tourism services.
