Travel, tourism and hospitality have a presence in all states, although it’s likely to be a larger part of a state’s economy in surf-and-sand spots like Hawaii, California or Florida; convention center cities like Atlanta, Las Vegas or Chicago; and business hubs like New York City, Dallas or Seattle. Career opportunities in the hospitality industry cover a broad spectrum, from lodging managers to meeting and event planners to CEOs. Understanding of the hospitality industry is often learned from hands-on experience, and that can make moving up through the ranks easier than in some other fields. However, earning a degree in hospitality management can still be beneficial to helping you advance more quickly or in having an edge in earning a coveted position.
If you're putting in the time and money to go to college and earn a degree, you probably want to be sure you're using your time and money wisely. That's why OnlineColleges.com made this list of the 10 best colleges offering online hospitality management degree programs. We analyzed data from the National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) with our proprietary methodology to identify these top 10 accredited schools. If you're considering earning a hospitality management degree, one of these colleges might be the perfect place to do it.
Monroe College, a for-profit school located in New York, offers numerous options for students interested in the field of hospitality and tourism. These include online associate, bachelor's and master's degree programs in hospitality management, made available through the Blackboard learning management system.
Accounting, travel tourism and principles of accounting are all part of the coursework for the online associate degree program. The online bachelor's program incorporates general education courses as well as classes in management, law, and labor relations, and a senior seminar. The online master's in hospitality management is an accelerated one- year program that requires a two-week residency at the beginning and end of the program.
Live chat with technical support and access to the news updates and social networks of the MyMonroe mobile app are available to all online learners.
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Its campus may be in Albany, Georgia, but students from all over can study hospitality management at Albany Technical College, which is part of the Technical College System of Georgia. Through ATC's Distance Learning Program, online students can enroll in an Associate of Applied Science program, a diploma program or a technical certificate of credit (TCC) program for hotel, restaurant and tourism management. Courses across all three programs touch on topics such as event planning, hospitality law and hotel operations management.
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1704 S. Slappey Blvd.Two brothers and a brother-in-law started Bryant & Stratton College in 1854. This private, for-profit school focuses on teaching students career education and life skills, helping students plan their educational path with the Career LifePrep initiative. One of the career-based fields Bryant & Stratton teaches is hospitality management, which students can pursue through an online certificate program and/or an online associate degree program.
Curriculum in the certificate program includes coursework in math, English and computing, as well as marketing, technology in the hospitality field and principles of hospitality management. The online associate degree program incorporates the same general subjects as the certificate program, but goes into more depth on the subject matter, such as convention and events management. The associate program concludes with a capstone project or internship, which can be cited as useful experience on a resume after graduation.
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Schiller International University boasts campuses at locations in the United States, Germany, Spain and France. With such a global scope, it's no surprise that Schiller also extends online education to students around the world. An online bachelor's degree program in international hospitality and tourism management and an online MBA program with a concentration in the same field are both available to help students work toward their career goals.
The online bachelor's program covers topics such as marketing, human resources, and convention and event management. As a program in international hospitality, classes in a foreign language are also required. International marketing, international travel and tourism and multinational business management are discussed in the MBA program, which can be completed in as little as 15 months. Students also complete a course in case studies during this program.
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Through its Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Florida International University hosts a dazzling display of online hospitality degree programs for interested students:
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11200 SW 8th StreetThe University of Phoenix, a for-profit school based out of Arizona, offers numerous online programs for new students and returning adult learners. In hospitality management, two online certificate programs and a bachelor's degree program are available:
The undergraduate certificate programs are 18 credit hours each, while the bachelor's program covers 120 credit hours. To help with accelerating program completion, students may be able to transfer credits into these programs from prior military experience, work experience or education.
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This two-year technical college in Central Arkansas seeks to help students everywhere work toward their career goals, and it hosts online programs to help accomplish this. Pulaski Technical College offers an online Associate of Applied Science degree program in hospitality management, which focuses on food service and managing businesses, lodging and tourism.
Distance learners can complete Pulaski's A.A.S. program in as little as four semesters. The program includes core coursework in subjects like dining room operations, fundamentals of tourism, and hospitality facilities. Students also select two electives in hospitality management to customize their curriculum, and the program concludes with a practicum.
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Based in Salem, Oregon, Chemeketa Community College supports its nontraditional learners with Chemeketa Online, a source of training and education programs alike for students across the U.S. Chemeketa endeavors to make all of its degree programs compliant with the Oregon Transfer Module -- a state-standardized curriculum to aid in transferring between Oregon schools -- including its online programs in hospitality and tourism management.
In addition to an Associate of Applied Science program in hospitality and tourism management, Chemeketa offers several certificate programs that can help students further specialize their studies: event management, food and beverage management, lodging management, tourism and travel management and more.
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4000 Lancaster Dr. NEAt the nonprofit University of Massachusetts-Amherst, students have the opportunity to improve their skills in hospitality management through multiple online program paths. Options include a certificate in casino management and a certificate in meeting and event management, which are both 15 credit hours each. An online Bachelor of Science in hospitality and tourism management is also available through the school's University Without Walls (UWW) platform, which is focused on online programs for adult learners. This bachelor's program requires a minimum of 120 credits to be completed, including general education requirements, core business courses, major requirements, and hospitality electives.
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At Johnson & Wales University, which was founded in 1914, there are numerous online degree programs available for students who are interested in pursuing a career in hospitality management. The Bachelor's of Science in hospitality management, for example, is a four-year program that divides coursework into 11-week segments. Additionally, students can find online bachelor's degree programs in related fields such as residential hospitality management or hotel & lodging management.
Other online programs offered through the university include a Master of Science in hospitality management and an MBA program with an emphasis in hospitality. These graduate-level programs offer career-focused curriculum, eight-week classes and a two-year timeline for completion.
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From hotels to casinos to restaurants to events, the hospitality industry is a fast-paced, rewarding profession that requires strong business acumen. Students who enroll in online colleges for hospitality management have the opportunity to explore many areas of the field and gain several invaluable skills along the way.
Hospitality management is a diverse field, so it's not surprising online hospitality management degrees have similarly diverse curriculums. Although the exact coursework that students can expect to complete depends on the school they enroll in, below are examples of classes that may be available in a hospitality management program.
Online education for hospitality management can teach graduates a number of skills to help them deal with the rigors of the field. The following are some examples of these skills.
Whether someone's on vacation or a business trip, chances are a lodging manager's work has made the trip a lot more pleasant. Those who enter lodging manager careers are responsible for ensuring that guests at motels, hotels, casinos, lodges and bed and breakfasts have an enjoyable stay. Daily responsibilities of these professionals include ensuring that rooms and public areas of an establishment are clean; hiring, training and supervising staff; decorating the property; and creating budgets and making sure they are adhered to.
In order to gain employment as a lodging manager, hopefuls are generally required to obtain a degree in hospitality or hotel management. Professionals in this field may want to consider specializing in a specific area of the business by becoming revenue, front office or general managers.
People who work in food service manager careers have diverse employment options, including restaurants, school cafeterias and hotels. The job duties of this position usually include negotiating prices with food and equipment suppliers, overseeing staff, managing food preparation and portion sizes and enforcing quality and safety standards. In addition, this position requires someone to have strong customer service abilities, as food service managers may also greet guests and field complaints about service and food.
Candidates for the food service management profession should be proficient in a number of skills, such as written and verbal communication, leadership, problem solving and training abilities. In addition, these workers must be able to function under stressful conditions because they often work long hours and are required to deal with unhappy customers.
Travel guides work with customers who are interested in taking long-distance trips, expeditions and tours. These professionals are responsible for helping clients with several aspects of their travel arrangements, including itineraries, accommodations, sightseeing, transportation and shopping. In addition, travel guides must ensure that their customers are safe, so they may need to hire qualified medical professionals for a trip, or if they are acting as a tour guide, be able to administer first aid themselves.
People who pursue travel guide careers should have sales, communication, customer service, listening, accounting and negotiation skills. Also, they should know how to use basic software like Microsoft Office and more specialized programs used in the travel industry.
Beginning a meeting, convention or event planner career generally includes obtaining a degree in hospitality and tourism or meeting and event management. Some employers may also expect job candidates to have one or two years of planning or hospitality experience.
In addition, some employers prefer to hire those who have obtained professional certifications. For example, the Convention Industry Council and the Society of Government Meeting Professionals offer credentials that can help job seekers demonstrate their expertise and stand out from the competition.
Meeting, convention and event planners have diverse responsibilities, including meeting with clients to find out their needs; choose venues based on clients' preferences; obtaining and reviewing bids from service providers; and hiring and supervising staff.