While many degrees open a world of possibilities, certain degrees offer a direct career path. Take English, for example. After earning an English degree, students can pursue a career in teaching, editing, writing, at a publishing company, or at a number of other locations. Meanwhile, a handful of degrees deliver students to a very specific career path. Hospitality Management is one of those programs. Learn more about the future possibilities offered by a degree in hospitality management.
A Program with a Plan
One of the many benefits related to acquiring a hospitality management degree is that students have a very direct and clear career path. Rather than wrestling through job applications with an unclear career direction in mind, students who study hospitality management have one goal in mind: to manage a company in the hospitality sector.
Understanding this career path early on in the educational process enables students to narrow their focus and truly specialize in the subject, offering them the ability to acquire expert-level knowledge. Because students typically focus on their prospective career throughout their entire higher education, they will often pay more careful attention to what will be required of them in the future once they are employed.
Understanding one’s projected career path also allows students the ability to gain experience in the industry. Whether at a part-time desk job or working for an online hotel booking company, students who know what they want out of life often have a more direct approach toward obtaining it.
Who Should Apply?
A degree in hospitality management is an excellent way to prepare for employment in the hospitality sector, which is heavily influenced by customer service and business. Business-minded, customer service-oriented individuals are an excellent fit for careers in the hospitality management field. Natural born leaders are another great candidate, as management positions require strong leadership abilities.
Students who choose to enroll in Florida National University’s (FNU) Hospitality Management Associate of Arts program will learn to harness their current talents and skills in order to direct them toward a career, while building additional skills and knowledge related to their prospective path.
Hotel managers are noted time and time again with being well-organized go-getters who are pleasant for guests and staff to deal with. Although the job requires long, sometimes unusual hours, hotel management must work to remain quick and helpful, thinking on one’s feet at all times.
Hospitality Management in Action: About the Program
This program is designed for students planning to pursue a higher-level degree in Hospitality Management. It offers key introductory courses within the field of Hospitality Management as well as a thirty-nine credit-hour component of general education/liberal arts courses.
FNU awards an Associate of Arts Degree in Hospitality Management upon graduation from this program. An Associate of Arts (A.A.) program is a two-year course of study that covers the core materials needed to complete the first two years of a four-year bachelor’s degree.
This means that this program offers students the ability to enter a program, fully prepared for upper-level courses in this subject. Therefore, FNU’s program prepares students to pursue higher-level education. If interested, students can continue their education to obtain a higher-level degree. However, entering the field with an associate’s degree is not unusual in this industry.
Planning Your Schedule
When selecting one’s course schedule, students are encouraged to contact an advisor—especially during the first semester. Students will also want to be aware of which prerequisites and classes are required for their degree before enrolling in the program. This useful information can be found in the Hospitality Management Associate of Arts course requirements PDF, or on the program’s page the FNU website.
Students are required to complete general education credits, which lay the foundation for their learning. These include mathematics courses, English courses, and a “Fundamentals of Oral Communication” class, which enables students to better prepare for their future career by offering valuable communication skills needed for most management positions.
Aside from general education requirements, students will have the decision each semester to choose from a number of core requirement courses, including but not limited to the following:
- HFT 1000 Introduction to the Hospitality and Tourism Industry 3
- HFT 1008 Introduction to Customer Service 3
- HFT 1210 Management in the Hospitality Industry 3
- HFT 1421 Accounting for the Hospitality Industry 3
- HFT 2410 Front Office Operation / Housekeeping 3
- HFT 2500 Hospitality and Tourism Marketing 3
- HFT 2600 Law for the Hospitality Industry 3
- HFT 2800 Food and Beverage Management 3
With such a large number of courses available, it is no wonder why FNU suggests students communicate with an academic advisor when developing one’s schedule. Advisors are familiar with the requirements of each program, and they are capable of helping to direct students in a particular direction or another—thus, students complete their programs easier and without the difficulty associated with misunderstanding the program requirements.
Prepare for Your Future with FNU
Whether opting to continue one’s education after graduating or preparing to enter the field, students from FNU’s Hospitality Management program will have a number of doors opened to them once they apply. Ready to get started? Review a list of FNU’s program offerings, pick one that best suits you, your interest and your skills, and apply to FNU today!
