If you're a people person and thrive in environments that are geared towards customer enjoyment, you might consider a career in the hospitality industry. Undergraduate and master's degree programs can allow you to study many branches of hospitality, including entertainment, recreation, food service and hotel management.
Hospitality Industry Defined
The hospitality industry is made up of a variety of fields, including culinary arts, restaurant management, sports and gaming, hotel management, tourism, and event planning. Because of the diverse nature of the industry, a variety of hospitality positions also exist. You can find chefs and wait staff, accountants, marketers, managers, and executives. Some employers in the hospitality industry offer seasonal work, such as skiing resorts, while others can provide year-round services, such as restaurants, casinos, or hotels.
<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutHospitalityStudies">Important Facts about Hospitality Studies</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><td> Degree Fields</td><td> Hotel management, food service management, culinary arts</td></tr>
<tr><td>Prerequisites</td><td>High school diploma or GED for undergraduate programs, bachelor's degree for graduate programs</td></tr>
<tr><td> Common Courses</td><td> Accounting, organizational development, leadership principles, human resources</td></tr>
<tr><td>Online Availability</td><td> Fully online</td></tr>
</table><h3 id="section---AvailableDegreePrograms">Available Degree Programs</h3><p>If you're interested in hospitality studies, associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs are available in many areas of hospitality. In addition to the most common hospitality degree fields mentioned above, you can find programs in sports hospitality, tourism hospitality, international hospitality management, and events management. All of these degree programs have general education requirements and similar fundamental coursework.
</p><p>The core coursework you take varies depending on the hospitality field that you choose to enter. Some programs teach you the technical skills to work as a chef or pastry artist, while other programs focus exclusively on hospitality management and business skills. You can expect to complete an internship during the course of the program, which can provide you with more than 200 hours of experience working at a restaurant, hotel, casino, sports arena, or tourist company.
</p><h3 id="section---JobOutlookInformation">Job Outlook Information</h3><p>The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the field of gaming services was projected to grow 17% from 2021 to 2031, which was much faster than average expected for all job sectors (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). During the same time period, food and beverage service workers were projected to see an increase of 10%; concierges should expect to see 9% growth between 2021 and 2031. Although growth was moderate in the food service and hotel industry, the BLS indicated that seasonal work and a younger population of workers created a continual need to fill these positions.</p>
