Students interested in pursuing a career in hotel management can choose from three specialized degrees. An associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, or a master’s degree are the three options. The programs are commonly referred to as hotel management or hospitality management degrees, but a master’s degree in business administration may be more appropriate in some cases. These degrees can be pursued full-time or part-time, and some schools may offer distance learning options. A bachelor’s degree in a related field or extensive experience can sometimes suffice to qualify someone for a position as a hotel manager.
An associate’s degree, also known as a certificate or diploma in some countries, takes two years to complete. This credential can be earned via distance learning or in a classroom lecture setting. Because it is designed to teach management skills in areas such as the front desk or the dining room, the degree by itself is unlikely to qualify a graduate to work as a hotel manager. A bachelor’s degree, combined with extensive experience, may be enough to land a job as a hotel manager, but prospective students with a bachelor’s degree have a much better chance of career advancement.
A bachelor’s degree can be either a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and takes about four years to complete. Business skills, marketing, finance, and management are taught in both the B.A. and B.S. degrees. In some markets, a bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement for a hotel manager interview. Bachelor’s degrees can be completed either online or on campus.
A bachelor’s degree that is appropriate for aspiring managers can have a variety of titles. Hotel management, hospitality management, hotel and tourism management, and even international hospitality management are all examples of these professions. Except for specialization in some programs, the qualifications are generally the same. A graduate of an international hospitality management program, for example, has more knowledge of how foreign hotels are run.
A prospective manager can choose to earn a master’s degree if he has a primary bachelor’s degree that is not relevant to hotel management or if he wants to improve his chances of promotion. Hotel management master’s degrees and business administration master’s degrees are both acceptable in the industry. Depending on whether a student is enrolled full-time or part-time, these degrees can take anywhere from one to two years to complete. Rather than recent bachelor’s degree graduates, a graduate school may prefer to enroll students with a few years of experience in the hotel industry.