Graduate Study
Hospitality-Tourism Management
Program Overview
Graduates of the master of science in hospitality-tourism management program are well prepared to step into numerous mid-level service management and training director positions. The program is focused on service innovation and leadership, and leadership functions within many services and corporate settings and at postsecondary academic institutions.
The hospitality-tourism management program may be taken on a full-or part-time basis. The length of time required to earn a degree varies according to the student's undergraduate preparation and the number of graduate courses taken per quarter. All students must earn a minimum of 48 quarter hours of graduate credit (36 of which must be registered through RIT) to earn the master of science degree. For full-time students, the program will require a minimum of four quarters of study at the graduate level. Part-time students generally will require seven or eight quarters of study at the graduate level.
Curriculum Review
The curriculum is a combination of a required core in service-management plus concentration courses. It also contains elective courses appropriate for the candidate's background and interests and either a research thesis or a graduate project. Course offerings are generally scheduled on evenings or weekends and are also offered during the summer and online to facilitate part-time students.
Core courses:
0625-750 Elements of Service Management: A Systems Approach
0624-825 Strategic Process of Service Firms
0625-849 Service Performance Metrics
0626-891 Workforce Development
or
0626-780 Human Resource Management I
0624 770 Service Leadership: Examining and Implementing Change
Elective courses provide students with an opportunity to individualize their graduate programs in line with their career and professional interests. Students are allowed a selection of courses from hospitality and service management, the College of Business, human resource development, instructional technology, the College of Engineering, Health Systems Administration, and the College of Computing and Information Sciences. However, students are cautioned to observe course prerequisites in their selections. Of their eight to twelve hours of electives, students are relatively free to select courses that they feel best meet their needs. The only limitations are that: all courses must be graduate level; a maximum of twelve graduate quarter hours may be transferred from another university; and a maximum of eight quarter hours may be taken in independent study or practicum courses.
Master's thesis/project:A thesis or project is required of all candidates. Thesis topics should complement the candidate's undergraduate training, career experiences, and graduate interests. The thesis is by nature a formal research document that reflects the candidate's professional preparation.Projects are, by nature of an applied research genre, a reflection of the student's ability to utilize professional modeling and other techniques to explain decision making within the hospitality-tourism industry.
The graduate faculty, in addition to the chair of the program, can aid the candidate in selecting a relevant thesis topic.
Career Outcomes
Job TitlesHotel General Manager, Convention Service Manager, Director of Food Services, Cash Operations Manager
Functions
Oversee finance, human resources, and information management; supervise food service operation; event planning
Recent Employers
Marriott, H.J. Heinz, College of St. Catherine
Admission Requirements
Prior to admission to the MS program, applicants must illustrate to the chair of the program that their previous training, ability, practical experience, and education indicate a reasonable chance of success. Applicants may be admitted who hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution. They must have undergraduate GPAs of 3.0 or higher. The complete admission requirements are as follows:
For international applicants, a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), with minimum scores of 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), or 89 (Internet-based), must be submitted. All international students will take the Michigan Test upon arrival, unless otherwise approved.
Students who are already qualified for one or more required courses may substitute other course work with the permission of the chair of the program. After a review of their work by the program chair, students whose prior undergraduate work has been in areas other than hospitality-tourism may be required to complete additional courses. The student may choose elective courses with the approval of the chair of the program.