Hotel management is a popular specialisation for students interested in the travel and hospitality industry. If you’re looking to develop a career in the field, studying for a degree in hotel management can be a good way to learn some of the critical skills and knowledge required. A hotel management qualification is a multidisciplinary study option covering several core subject areas, from finance to human resources. We guide you through what studying for this degree is like, what you’ll learn, and your graduate prospects.
What types of hotel management courses are available?
You will have several types of hotel management qualifications to choose from. Degrees in hotel management are offered as vocational courses or professional degrees. You can study at different levels, including:
If you choose to study for a diploma in hotel management, it will take one to two years to complete. A bachelor’s degree with honours in the subject is a three-year qualification, while a master’s degree is a two-year commitment. For a degree course, you will likely undertake a work placement or internship as part of your qualification. In addition, some universities also offer hotel management courses 100 per cent online.
Hotel management is also available as a module of a travel and hospitality management degree or qualification. This can involve focusing on a particular aspect of the field, such as hotel event management, restaurant management, resort management, facilities management, or financial management.
What are the entry requirements for a hotel management qualification?
To be accepted to study a hotel management degree you must meet several entry requirements. Remember that not all universities will have the same admission requirements, so it’s always important to check with your prospective institution. You will need a minimum level of academic achievement and proof of your English language ability.
For a bachelor’s degree in hotel management, you will usually require:
- An International Baccalaureate of 24-28 points, with 12 at the higher level or equivalent.
- An IELTS score of 6.0 to 6.5 with no band lower than 5.5.
For an MSC or master’s degree in hotel management, you will require:
- A minimum of a 2:2 UK honour’s degree. This is equivalent to a GPA of 2.6 or above.
- An IELTS score of 6.5 or above with no band lower than 6.0.
You still have options even if you don’t meet the entry criteria. Many universities offer foundation and pathway programmes to help you prepare for degree study. Further, they provide pre-sessional English courses to help you improve your language proficiency and pre-masters courses, to help you transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study.
What will I study in a hotel management course?
The curriculum that you will study will not be identical between universities, but there are several core modules and areas that you will study during your degree. We first turn our attention to a bachelor’s degree in hotel management. You will likely cover:
- The hospitality industry
- Customer experience
- Project management
- Operations management
- Human resources
- Food and beverage management
- Professional work experience
The assessment component of your course will likely consist of essays, presentations, reports, professional practice, exams, and a project dissertation.
When studying for a postgraduate degree in hotel management, you will build on the skills and knowledge you developed in your undergraduate degree and begin to specialise. For an MSc in hotel management, you can expect to study:
- Organisational psychology
- Accounting and finance
- Services marketing
- Business analytics
- Information systems
- Ethics
- Human resource management
- Research methodology
- Strategic and project management
Your curriculum will generally be divided between compulsory and optional/elective modules. You will undergo regular assessments throughout your course with assignments, tutorials, and projects. However, your master’s degree will usually culminate in the submission of an academic or applied business dissertation used for your final assessment.
What are the benefits of studying hotel management?
The knowledge and skills gained on a hotel management course are incredibly wide. The benefits of a career in hotel management include (but are not limited to):
- Enjoying a mix of both business and customer service.
- Taking responsibility in many areas: front of house, housekeeping, maintenance, catering, human resources, finance, public relations, marketing, etc.
- Experiencing job satisfaction if you enjoy interacting with people.
- Feeding creativity – to be successful, you need to be creative in coming up with new ideas for the business.
- Developing strong leadership skills.
- Gaining the knowledge and skillset to start your own business.
- Possessing transferable skills applicable in other industries and fields.
A degree in hotel management is also a great way to travel and work internationally, as your qualification could be globally recognised and accredited by professional associations.
What can I do after a degree in hotel management?
Once you have qualified with a degree in hotel management, you’ll have various opportunities available to you. Graduates in the tourism and hospitality management sector have an over 90 per cent employment rate a year after graduating (Graduate Outcomes). Some of the work and roles that you may be able to undertake include:
- Human resource management
- Hotel management
- Marketing
- Event management
- Catering
- Business development management
- Retail management
- Customer service management
Graduates with this degree can work in diverse industries, from aviation to higher education. The opportunity for professional development is present as you take on responsibility early in your career. If you want to find out more about where hotel management could lead you, speak to your prospective university’s international office or their careers service.
Now that you have a better idea of what studying hotel management is like, you might want to explore a little further. Explore our guides to the top five undergraduate degrees, the best vocational degrees for employment, and what an honour’s degree is.
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