Hospitality Management

The Hospitality Management program prepares students for management positions in multiple segments of the world's largest industry. Graduates assume managerial roles in varied hospitality disciplines including: resorts, hotels, restaurants, private clubs, meeting and event planning corporations, destination marketing associations, convention centers, cruise lines, casinos, theme parks, car rental agencies, sports facilities, spas, entertainment venues, and vacation ownership or fractional ownership operations.

Potential career areas include operations management, sales and marketing, public relations or publicity, food and beverage, engineering, housekeeping, human resources management, revenue management, tourism planning and development, and many others. Students who choose to major or minor in Hospitality Management will receive a broad management-based education providing a platform of knowledge with specific focus on improving one's ability to manage successfully within a hospitality industry operation.

Career Planning Information

The hospitality and tourism industry remains one of the most critical industries to our region, state, and nation. Further, on a global scale, international visitor arrivals are expected to surpass 1 BILLION in the year 2014 according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (WTO).

On a statewide level, hospitality is the state of Florida’s number one private employer and is the top employer in all of the South Florida counties surrounding FAU (Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, et al.) Florida also ranks as the number one travel destination in the world. In the year 2012 alone, the stated hosted nearly 91.4 million visitors. Further, the hospitality related employment was at a record high of of over 1,013,000 jobs.

The hospitality industry is generally recognized as being comprised of four key segments: lodging, food service, transportation, and commercial recreation. Additionally, exciting areas within these segments include incentive travel, event management, gaming, and destination marketing. Positions are as varied as one’s distinct personality and are offered in such exciting venues as theme parks, attractions, cruise ships, resorts, and casinos - just to name a few! In addition to operations management jobs, professional positions are available in multiple areas of interest to prospective students. These areas include sales & marketing, public relations, human resources, accounting, facility management, engineering, finance, training & education, law, real estate, information technology, and event planning.

In response to the overall hospitality and tourism industry’s continued growth and increasing complexity and diversification, the Florida Atlantic University program’s curriculum offers students a solid educational experience. The curriculum begins with a broad intellectual foundation in liberal arts focusing on social sciences, biological sciences, and quantitative skills. Hospitality Management majors then move on to take fundamental pre-business courses (economics, accounting, statistics, etc.) during their first two years. After receiving a strong intellectually sound foundation, students then proceed to the business “core” courses along with their hospitality-specific courses during their third and fourth years. The program also requires a field experience component enabling graduates to be well prepared for the job market.

Industry Opportunities

Lodging and Resorts

• General Manager
• Resident Manager
• Executive Housekeeper
• Front Office Manager
• Guest Services Manager
• Convention Services Manager
• Assistant Manager
• Director of Sales
• Human Resources Director
• Rooms Division Director

Food and Beverage Industry

• General Manager
• Assistant Manager
• Executive Chef
• Banquet Manager
• Food and Beverage Director
• Catering Manager
• Catering Sales Manager
• Nightclub Owner/Operator

Meetings and Events Management

• Convention Sales Manager
• Conference Services Manager
• Special Events Manager

Private Club Management

• Clubhouse Manager
• Director of Membership
• Director of Special Events
• General Manager
• Assistant Manager

Commercial Recreation Management

• City/County Director of Recreation
• Spa Manager
• Parks Manager
• Theme Park Manager
• Golf Course Manager

Cruise Industry

• Director of Activities
• Chief Purser
• Sales & Marketing