Carol Whitlock, Interim Department Chair and Graduate Program Director
(585) 475-2353, cbwism@rit.edu
http://www.rit.edu/cast/htm/graduate/
Program overview
The hospitality-tourism management program prepares students to step into numerous mid-level service management and training director positions. The program is focused on service and innovation, as well as leadership functions within many service and corporate settings and at post-secondary academic institutions.
Curriculum
The program's curriculum introduces major concepts associated with all aspects of service management, whether they are applied specifically to the hospitality-tourism industry or the wider service industry. Among the general concepts investigated are service strategy delivery (understanding and co-creating customer value, innovation and creativity, service leadership, service design and metrics development, and change in service organizations), and human resource capital development (human capital strategies).
To earn the MS degree, students must complete a minimum of 48 credit hours. The curriculum is a combination of required core courses in service innovation, a concentration, and elective courses chosen by the student to meet career interests and objectives. Students may choose one of three options to complete the program: a capstone project, a research thesis, or a comprehensive exam. Course offerings generally are scheduled for evenings and most are available online to facilitate part-time students.
Core courses
The core courses facilitate the paradigm shift from manufacturing to service and move the focus from traditional organizational structures to an organization where employees must provide several functions, sometimes simultaneously. This multifunctional approach provides a new avenue to examine service organizations and explore such issues as teamwork, learning organizations, organizational change, performance metrics, and customer relationship management.
Each course not only introduces the service philosophy, but also examines the real differences in hospitality-service management outcomes necessitated by the adoption of a new service paradigm. In so doing, these courses set the stage for the professional “cluster” courses.
Thesis/Capstone/Exam options
Students must complete a thesis, capstone project, or comprehensive exam as a culminating experience allowing for demonstration of competencies for theory and application material for the discipline. Students will be advised by the program adviser and/or program faculty as to which option is most appropriate in fulfilling a student's career and educational objectives. In the program the default is to complete a capstone project. A thesis or comprehensive exam may be completed in place of the capstone, with the approval of the faculty adviser and program director.
Semester conversion
Effective fall 2013, RIT will convert its academic calendar from quarters to semesters. Each program and its associated courses have been sent to the New York State Department of Education for approval of the semester plan. For reference, the following charts illustrate the typical course sequence for this program in both quarters and semesters. Students should consult their academic advisers with questions regarding planning and course selection.
Hospitality and tourism management, MS degree, typical course sequence (quarters)
| Course | Qtr. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| 0625-750 | Elements of Service Management: A Systems Approach | 4 |
| 0624-825 | Strategic Process of Service Firms | 4 |
| 0625-849 | Service Performance Metrics | 4 |
| 0625-790 | Research Methods | 3 |
| 0625-708 | Library Research | 1 |
| 0624-755 | Graduate Writing | 4 |
| 0626-735 | Human Capital Strategies | 4 |
| 0624-846 | Travel Marketing Systems | 4 |
| 0624-867 | Tourism Planning and Development | 4 |
| Choose one of the following: | 4 | |
| 0624-770 | Service Leadership | |
| 0625-844 | Breakthrough Thinking, Creativity, and Innovation | |
| Professional Elective | 4 | |
| Hospitality-Tourism Electives | 12 | |
| Capstone Project* | 4 | |
| Total Quarter Credit Hours | 48 | |
* Typically, students complete a capstone project as a culminating experience for the program. However, with department approval, students may complete a thesis or a comprehensive exam. For those who select the exam, students will be required to also complete Breakthrough Thinking, Creativity and Innovation (0625-844).
Hospitality and tourism management, MS degree, typical course sequence (semesters), effective fall 2013
| Course | Sem. Cr. Hrs. | |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| HSPT-700 | Research Methods | 3 |
| HSPT-702 | Graduate Writing Strategies | 3 |
| SERQ-710 | Evolving Contexts In Service | 3 |
| HSPT-730 | Strategic Hospitality And Tourism Branding | 3 |
| HSPT-740 | Economic Performance Analysis for Hospitality and Tourism | 3 |
| HSPT-750 | Processes and Assessment of Hospitality and Tourism Industries | 3 |
| Electives | 9 | |
| Graduate Project* | 3 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 30 | |
* Typically, students complete a capstone project as a culminating experience for the program. However, with department approval, students may complete a thesis or a comprehensive exam. For those who select the exam, students will be required to also complete one additional elective course.
Electives
Elective courses provide students with an opportunity to individualize their graduate programs in line with their career and professional interests. With the approval of the department chair, students are allowed to take a selection of elective courses from outside the hospitality-tourism management program. Courses may be taken from the hospitality and service management program, the human resource development program, the E. Philip Saunders College of Business, and the Kate Gleason College of Engineering. Students are cautioned to observe course prerequisites in their selections.
Of the 8 credit hours of electives, students are relatively free to select courses that they feel best meet their needs. All elective courses must be graduate-level. If previous course work exists, a maximum of 12 credit hours from another university may be considered for transfer. A maximum of 8 credit hours may be taken as independent study or practicum courses. Students completing a capstone project or the comprehensive exam will need to complete one additional elective (4 credit hours).
Admission requirements
To be considered for admission to the MS program in hospitality-tourism management, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:
- Hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution,
- Submit official transcripts (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work,
- Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Foundation course work with a GPA of 3.0 or higher (if required),
- Submit two professional recommendations,
- Participate in an on-campus interview (when possible),
- Submit a current resume, and
- Complete a graduate application.
- International applicants, whose native language is not English, must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum score of 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), or 89 (Internet-based) is required. All international students will also take the Michigan Test of English Proficiency upon arrival, unless otherwise waived and maybe required to take a prescribed program in English and a reduced program courseload based on Michigan and or TOEPL test results.
After a review by the program chair, applicants whose prior undergraduate work has been in areas other than hospitality-tourism may be required to complete additional courses. Students may choose elective courses with the approval of the program.
Additional information
Part time study
The program may be completed on a full- or part-time basis. The length of time required to earn the degree varies according to the student’s undergraduate preparation and the number of graduate courses taken per quarter.