Major in Hospitality Management

Begin your career in hospitality management

For over 85 years, the Penn State School of Hospitality Management has provided leadership and instruction for students pursuing a hospitality career.

Designed for students who have an interest in pursuing a vast spectrum of far-reaching, service-oriented careers, our world-class hospitality management undergraduate program will help you make your professional mark within any segment of the hospitality sector.

Students can also leverage a 4+1 program, earning both a bachelor's and master's degree in hospitality management in five years.

There is a wide array of positions in which your skills and knowledge will be put to great use, including:

Business: With courses in accounting, marketing and organizational behavior, you can find a career in the business of hospitality. You may work in finance or accounting, human resources, training, or operations and shape business decisions that affect employees, guests and your company’s bottom line.

Facility Management: You may become a leader within the hospitality industry by running a restaurant, managing a resort, overseeing food sales, or pursuing a related career path. Your training in the program can help you understand the challenges that a facility faces and how to overcome them — with the goal of helping your organization develop solid plans and identify key processes that will help it run smoothly and efficiently.

Guest Relations: You may find a career in managing guest relations within a hotel, restaurant, gaming, resort, cruise line, stadium, or event-planning organization. You may oversee the development of programs or menus, work closely with staff on best practices, or manage the services offered by your organization.

Food Service: From the manufacturing sector of food service to the front lines of great meal preparation, you may be responsible for the development, creation, or delivery of food to people in restaurants, schools, or health care facilities.

Earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years

The Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate (IUG) degree track combines the B.S. in Hospitality Management with the Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) in Hospitality Management, allowing students to earn both degrees in five years.

This is a seamless, cost-effective path for students to earn both degrees and enhance their academic experience and career potential.

While the undergraduate program provides students with foundational and intermediate managerial and technical skills, the IUG accelerates that path and reduces the total costs of obtaining a master’s degree.

This degree program is STEM designated for international students, who can receive up to 3 years of federally approved Occupational Practical Training (OPT) in the field upon graduation.

To qualify for the IUG program, students must:

• Have completed no less than 60 credits.
• Be admitted no later than the end of the second week of the semester preceding the semester of expected conferral of the undergraduate degree.

Current students should contact Adviser Irina Tishina to learn more about the program, discover how to apply, and obtain information on scholarships.

Courses

As a School of Hospitality Management student, you will leverage your education and a vast network of like-minded professionals to find a fulfilling career that focuses on mastering the “service experience” across a wide array of industries. You will gain the analytical, interpersonal, and organizational skills you need to become a successful hospitality professional.

Discover hospitality management courses.

By tailoring this flexible curriculum to meet your specific needs and interests, you may pursue a bachelor of science degree with an emphasis in restaurant management, hotel management, or institutional management. You may also pursue a concentration in areas such as financial management, human resources management, marketing, or hospitality management information systems.

Learn more about minors, certificates and areas of concentration.

Real-world opportunities

Students have the chance to work at our full-service, on-site restaurant Cafe Laura and our state-of-the art Food Decisions Research Laboratory — as well as obtain training and certification in important industry standards, such as the National Restaurant Association ServSafe certification and the STR Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics.

Helping students gain essential work experience and form lasting connections with industry professionals, the School of Hospitality Management requires each student to complete and document a minimum of 1,000 hours of hospitality professional experience [link this text to the student resources page].

How to apply

To apply to Penn State, please visit the University Admissions website.