The Advantages To Earning An Online Hospitality Management Degree
A hospitality management degree allows individuals to expand the knowledge and training required to maintain the multifaceted aspects of the tourism, travel, and the hotel industries. Students who complete a hospitality management program gain the skills necessary to base a lucrative, long lasting career and advance personal and educational goals. Students who are introverted or shy, or have job or family responsibilities, may find obtaining a hospitality management degree online as one of the best paths to propel career and educational goals.
Most colleges and universities have developed innovative online degree programs to meet the increasing demands of students seeking degrees who find attending on campus courses difficult. Most colleges and universities provide online instruction, materials, and educational experiences similar to traditional, brick and mortar courses. Most online degree programs consist of groups of 25 students, allowing access to online classes, seminars, one on one conversations with instructors and other students through live internet chats. Many online classes provide 24 hour access with ease and flexibility in course scheduling in comparison to on-campus course participation.
What Students Learn Through An Online Hospitality Management Degree Program
Students who participate and complete online hospitality management degree programs gain the skills necessary to provide service to clients and customers of all backgrounds within the tourism and hotel industries. Hospitality management graduates learn all aspects of the hospitality industry, including the business, financial, and psychological components of assisting, accommodating, and serving clients while they are away from home. Students will take courses like: introduction to hotel operations, introduction to food service operations, service operations management, marketing, data gathering, statistics, club management, restaurant management, hospitality quantitative research and analysis, product pricing in the hospitality market, business communications, psychology, food service management, human resource management, hotel revenue management, asset management, catering and special events management, restaurant entrepreneurship, speciality food and beverage operations, introduction to casino operations, and hotel revenue pricing strategy and distribution help students attain skills necessary to complete a bachelor degree in hospitality management.
Many students within hospitality management undergraduate degree may advance to entry level jobs or enroll in higher degree programs to propel educational, professional, or personal goals. Students who choose to further degrees within graduate level hospitality management programs may specialize their degree to meet their professional goals. Courses to attain a master’s degree in hospitality management generally include: quality systems and processes, distribution systems and commodities, spa and spa hotel and resort development and management, yield management, restaurant revenue management, hospitality operations and consulting, introduction to casino operations, advanced revenue management, airline service and management, ethics, and business operations.
Prospective Jobs For Graduates With A Hospitality Management Degree
A hospitality management degree provides graduates with a flexible educational background to qualify for a wide range of employment opportunities in several industries. An undergraduate degree in hospitality management allows students to gain entry level employment within casinos, resorts, restaurants, cruise lines, hotels, or even governmental or federal agencies. Some hospitality management graduates qualify for sales or marketing jobs, lodging managers, catering managers, or gaming managers within various corporations and gain work experiences necessary to advance to jobs with higher responsibilities and salaries. Graduates who obtain a master’s degree in hospitality management often gain employment as senior managers of hotels, resorts, travel agencies, convention centers, or begin their own businesses as consultants.
Salary Range For Graduates With A Hospitality Management Degree
Earnings for graduates with a hospitality management degree are dependent upon educational level, field of specialty, and other work related experience. Earnings are largely affected by the skill and specialty level of graduates, the source and size of organization of employment, and other factors. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) expects job growth to remain slow within the field of hospitality, travel, and tourism due to economic factors and hotel downsizing. The BLS predicts that casinos, resorts, and full service hotels will provide hospitality management graduates with the most stable and best employment options as these organizations often cater to a diverse group of customers. Median salaries generally range from $46,000 to $67,380 annually for graduates who work as gaming managers, catering managers, and hotel managers though earnings are often dependent upon educational training and work performance.
Career Outlook and Advancement Opportunities For Graduates With A Hospitality Management Degree
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that graduates from a hospitality management program will find a fair to low amount of job security and opportunities for advancement. Graduates who refine their degrees by specializing in tourism are expected to have steady opportunities for employment prospects and career advancement. In comparison, graduates who work in hotel or lodging fields are expected to have slow or lessened employment prospects and career advancement. As with most degree programs, students who pursue graduate degrees often find the potential for employment and advancement to increase training and work experience expand skills.
