Required Courses

The Hospitality Industry: Historical Perspectives and Distinguished Lecture Series-
Review the broad spectrum of the hospitality industry from an historical perspective, in concert with current history, trends, and challenges presented by notable industry executives. Distinguished guests represent all segments of the hospitality industry plus selected allied support businesses. Industry segments include, but are not limited to, hotels and lodging, restaurant and food service, travel and tourism, conferences and conventions, casinos and gaming, clubs and resorts, health care and senior living, franchising and entrepreneurship, and technology support.

Lodging Operations Management-
Focus on management history, planning, organization, leadership, and current and future management issues. The course requires students to compare rooms division management in a large hotel with that of a small hotel, including reservations, front office operations and accounting, housekeeping, and auxiliary functions. The complexities and the terminology of the design, management, and maintenance of physical structures used by civil engineers and architects are integral to the course. Guest lecturers include hotel general managers and department heads who highlight student projects.

Food and Beverage Operations Management-
Integration of operations management principles and techniques. Presentation of large-scale theme gourmet dinners; act as managerial consultants to on-campus food service facilities. The lab provides an experiential setting for the application of such principles as marketing, operations management, accounting and organizational behavior through the planning, organizing, coordinating, and execution of two weekend food service events.

Hospitality Marketing Management-
Students apply basic marketing principles to the competitive environment of service businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality firms. Strong emphasis on consumer behavior, services management theory, and the hospitality marketing mix as they relate to service firms of all types. Course material is presented through a variety of techniques: case studies, lectures, guest speakers, team projects, and written assignments.

Service Industries Management-
Provides broad understanding of managerial issues in the operation of service firms, as distinct from consumer product or manufacturing firms, e.g., lodging, restaurants, health care, banking, and education. Examines, from the viewpoint of the service firm manager, the role services play in the economy, delivery systems, encounters, technology, human resources, productivity, and quality issues, along with the concept of service.

Hospitality Law-
Tort and contract liability in the hospitality industry. Emphasis on a managerial approach to solving or avoiding potential problems while managing a business.

Employment Law-
Explores the employment relationship in business and the requirements and components of legal employment practices.

Hospitality Human Resource Management-
Addresses key hospitality resource management issues of a general, technical, and social nature including communication, motivation and leadership, job stress and safety, security, government regulations, discrimination, and substance abuse. Covers technical areas such as recruiting and selecting, placement, employment, training, performance appraisal, disciplining, and termination.

Hospitality Finance and Development-
Provides the advanced student with a familiarity of the principles and practices of development and acquisition of hotel, restaurant, and other hospitality businesses, and the real estate development process. Emphasis on market and financial evaluation and decision making relative to economic, ethical, legal, and social aspects of the organization's environment. Group projects involving the preparation of a complete economic feasibility study for hotel or restaurant development or acquisition or repositioning are required.

Strategic Management in the Hospitality Industry-
Capstone course, interrelating and applying strategic management concepts to hospitality organizations. Cases from hotel companies, restaurant chains, and other hospitality-related businesses, supplemented by economic and other published information from the industry, are used as departure points for class discussion.

Sample Elective Offerings

Meetings and Conventions-
Strategic and logistical considerations in managing the planning, development, marketing, and implementation of meetings, conferences, and conventions.

Study Abroad-
Open to students studying abroad in the discipline as approved by the hospitality management program director.

Internship I and II-
A nontraditional academic experience relating to work experience within the university system. Coordinated by a faculty member who provides supervision, along with an on-site supervisor, through regular class meetings. Includes academic assignments and a written report.

Independent Analysis-
Study and research project for honor students to advance knowledge in lodging and food services fields.

Supervised Student Teaching Experience-
Participants are expected to perform such functions as leading discussion groups, assisting faculty in undergraduate courses that they have successful completed, or working as peer advisers in the advising center. Enrollment is limited to juniors and seniors who have above average G.P.A.s. Reflective final paper is required.

Seniors Operations Seminar-
Allows students to experience and participate in the planning and decision-making process of a full-service hotel; to contribute to and understand the intricacies of managing change while gaining a sensitivity to interdepartmental coordination. Class meets at major metropolitan hotels.

Beverage Management-
Examination of purchasing, evaluation, storage, service, and control of alcoholic beverages. Emphasis on wines, although beer, ale distilled spirits, liqueurs, and mixed drinks are examined.

Honors Thesis/Project-
Supervised research leading to the completion of an honors thesis or project; required for graduation from the honors program in hospitality management.

Casino Management-
Investigates issues of social awareness, management and control of casino and other gaming operations.

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