Hours Requirements | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

REVISED Professional Hours Requirement through Spring 2021

Due to the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in the lack of hospitality and hospitality-related business work opportunities, completing 1,000 hours of professional work experience has been suspended as a pre-requisite requirement of HM492 Advanced Professional Seminar through to the end of Spring 2021 semester. In the event it is necessary, this suspension could be extended.
Although meeting 1,000 hours of professional work requirement has been suspended, the School of Hospitality Management’s faculty are committed to creating new opportunities for HM majors to meet the high standards and exceptional work ethic that all our Penn State alumni are known for throughout the industry. The School’s entire community is looking forward to helping students professionally grow and develop in new ways to demonstrate the resilience, creativity, and compassion that great hospitality leaders cultivate. We are working on new opportunities for our students, both paid and unpaid, within hospitality and related professional, service environments.
New expectations for professional work experiences and development will be forthcoming in the academic year ahead. Substitute professional development activities will be inserted as course requirements in HM 492 in future semesters. To help you better plan your professional development activities and identify your pre-professional experiential needs, follow these steps.
For students wishing to register or registered for HM492 for any of the following semesters - Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, OR Spring 2021, complete the steps below.
1) Submit all documentation of any work experience (hospitality or other) that you have completed prior to March 15, 2020 to the School of Hospitality Management offices (email directly to Ashley Medina, ALM626@psu.edu) at your earliest opportunity.
2) Complete a work experience survey form ( see HM 492 Enrollment Request Form below) and submit your current resume. To enroll or remain enrolled in HM492, you will need to complete this form.
3) Read your SHM Hospitality Hotwire, delivered to your Penn State email, each Thursday for more information.

HM 492 Enrollment Request Form

The School of Hospitality Management requires that each student complete and document a minimum of 1000 hours of appropriate hospitality professional experience. To maximize the quality of your professional experience, the following guidelines apply.

Students must work in at least two different jobs or internships. They are not required to change companies, but they must have two different jobs or internships should they remain with the same company.
No single job or internship may count for more than 600 hours.
Any job or internship where a student works less than 40 hours will not qualify.
At least 400 hours must be completed within the U.S.