If you love entertaining and making people feel at home, enjoy learning about your city or region and telling people all it has to offer, then a career in hospitality management could be for you. It may look like it is all fun, but professionals in hospitality management are highly skilled and highly trained and usually have earned a degree from a hospitality management school.

Those interested in a degree from a hospitality management school might be interested in a career in hotel management, food service management, banquet and party planning, or hotel marketing or administrative and support functions. The varying levels of certificate and degree programs in hospitality management depend on the student's career ambitions.  

A certificate program in hospitality management is usually a one-year program of coursework that covers the basics and general courses for people who wish to work in the hospitality industry. A certificate or associate's degree program at a hospitality management school might be the choice for those students who haven't decided where in a hotel they may wish to work - for example, in administration or in food service.

Students who decide on a certificate or an associate's degree program at a hospitality management school will typically take a course in the following areas: hotel management, restaurant/food service management, travel and tourism management, event and meeting planning, marketing, hospitality administration, wine and beverage management, or travel and tourism administration.

Those students wishing to earn a bachelor's degree at one of the country's leading hospitality management schools will be exposed to more advanced coursework in general hospitality management, offering the skill set necessary to manage an entire motel, hotel, resort or camping/RV facility. Coursework for a Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management at a hospitality management school includes introduction and advanced food preparation management, fundamentals of management in the hospitality industry, accounting in the hospitality industry, hospitality information technology, hospitality marketing, operations and cost control, budgeting, hospitality industry law, leadership, facilities management, and financial analysis. Additionally, many hospitality management schools require students to complete internships before issuing a degree. Students who know they want to specialize in food service, management, administration, or travel and tourism might also be offered the opportunity to minor in one of their chosen specialty areas at hospitality management school. Master's degree programs are also offered in the field. Those wishing to earn a doctorate will most likely do so with a PhD in Business Administration or a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).

Welcome to the wonderful world of hospitality management   
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' forecast for hospitality management jobs from the period of 2006-2016 is good. Due to the number of new hotels under construction, there is an expected growth of 11 percent for jobs in the hospitality management sector. However, the recession, which began in 2007, has hit the industry hard and those numbers might be overestimating the job growth for the period of the recession. Still, when the economy rebounds, hospitality management jobs will be in plentiful supply again.

Those interested in careers in hospitality management are poised to have a fun rewarding career, which oftentimes includes travel. If you think a career in hospitality management is right for you, find a hospitality management school near you!