Skip Navigation
 

Graduates with degrees in hospitality management can explore career paths in hotel administration, tourism, travel, operations, marketing, hospitality management, customer service, and management. The organizational, business management, and customer service competencies used in hospitality segments are transferable across all areas. It is not uncommon for hospitality majors to work in several areas throughout their career.

Select a program below to learn more about faculty recommended resources for exploring career paths, employment websites, professional affiliations, virtual communities, conferences and much more.

Connect with your Career Coach
877-755-2787
[email protected]
 
  • Helping - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Listening - Paying attention to what other people are saying, and taking time to understand the points being made.
  • Managing Money - Determining how much money is required to get a job done, allocating those monies, and then accounting for all expenditures.
  • Managing People - Assigning duties to others, motivating them, and evaluating their performance.
  • Managing Physical Resources - The ability to make appropriate use of equipment and materials to get a job done.
  • Managing Time - Allocating and budgeting your time for different tasks so that things get done when needed.
  • Reading Comprehension - The ability to understand complex written paragraphs, instructions, or reports.
  • Reasoning - Using logic to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of the reactions of others, and understanding why they react the way they do.
  • Speaking - Talking, giving speeches, or speaking in a group to convey information, explain ideas, or give instructions.
  • Writing and Authoring - Composing and communicating your ideas in written form.

Useful Skills within the Hospitality Management Field
Career Options
To identify what education or training is typical for careers within the hospitality management field, use the O*Net hyperlinks below and click on “Job Zone.”

As with all majors, the education you receive serves as a foundation of knowledge that prepares you for what you may face in the professional world. The career field you choose may require additional education or experience.

Gaining real life experience is an ideal way to start a new career. The career services website has an extensive list of internships and fellowships. Browse through the internships; they are organized by interest or by federal program. Use the list below to find a few examples of organizations that offer internships for both graduate and undergraduate hospitality management students:

In addition to the organizations mentioned above, there are government-organized internship programs which provide students or recent graduates the opportunity to gain real-life experience. Many require students to maintain either a half-time or full-time student status. The best ways to identify potential opportunities such as these is to contact branch offices directly, to search USAJobs.gov, or to look at the agencies’ career portals. Keep in mind these positions are not always posted online, so direct contact with the agency is key.

Pathways

The Pathways Program is a federal initiative that offers internship programs for current students and training and career development opportunities for recent graduates. Recent graduates must apply within two years of degree or certificate completion (except for veterans, due to their military service obligation, will have up to six years to apply).The internship program for current students replaces the former Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) and Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP).

The Presidential Management Fellows Program (PMF)

PMF is designed to attract to federal service outstanding men and women from a wide variety of academic disciplines who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, a career in the analysis and management of public policies and programs. To be eligible for nomination, an individual must be a graduate student completing or expected to complete, during the current academic year, an advanced degree from a qualifying college or university.

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP)

WRP is coordinated by the Office of Disability Employment Policy and the U.S. Department of Defense, and aims to provide summer work experience, and in some cases full-time employment, to college students with disabilities. The program develops partnerships with other federal agencies, each of whom makes a commitment to provide summer jobs and a staff recruiter. Each year, recruiters interview about 1,500 students with disabilities at college and university campuses across the nation, and develop a database listing the qualifications of each student.

There are several government agencies and organizations that seek candidates with degrees in hospitality management. The below list provides a few examples of federal agencies where degree holders might find employment.

While many of the major job search engines will have positions in several fields to choose from, the list below is specific to the hospitality management field.

Involvement in professional organizations is a great way to stay up-to-date on new technology, tools, and best practices in your field. Professional organizations are also a great networking opportunity. Below are a few professional organizations you may be interested in as a hospitality management major.

A login may be required for access to social media.

  • Hospitality Management Program – Facebook
  • International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA) – Facebook