This degree not only prepares students with the professional knowledge and skills to succeed in the hospitality industry, but also provides opportunities for growth and experience in that industry. Throughout a student's time in the program, students will focus on a set of hospitality courses including, but not limited to, guest services, food preparation, and sales.
This degree is nationally recognized by the Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education.
Careers
The Hotel and Restaurant Major offers a strong liberal arts foundation combined with substantive hospitality coursework and fieldwork. Students are required to complete two semesters of a modern language to help them appreciate diversity and be more effective in bi-lingual work environments. Students are required to complete a supervised internship and work 1200 hours in hospitality establishments to gain valuable on-the-job experiences, build their resumes, and apply what they have learned from their coursework. Students can also participate in study abroad programs for expanding their global awareness and join one or more of the eight student clubs, like the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality, for professional development and recruiting opportunities.
Students learn the management theories and operational competencies necessary to enter any segment of the hospitality industry upon graduation. Students are required to take courses specific to the industry including an introduction to the hospitality industry, hotel and restaurant operations and management, fundamentals in kitchen operations, hospitality information technology, facilities and sustainability management for hotels, hospitality organizational behavior and human resources management, hospitality managerial accounting, hospitality industry analytics, hospitality marketing, and hospitality leadership and ethics. Students must complete 15 hours of hospitality electives. They can choose from 35 elective courses to gain deeper knowledge and more marketable skill sets. Although not required, students may enroll in one of seven hospitality certificates to focus their elective credits toward a specific area of study, such as event planning management or hospitality accounting.
Career opportunities that might be pursued: Hotel Management; Restaurant Management; Club and Spa Management; Entrepreneurship; Culinary Arts.
With further education, one of these paths is possible: Food and Beverage Director; Rooms Division Director; General Manager; Restaurant Manager/Owner; Restaurant Chain Senior Management; Hotel Chain Senior Management.
September 2025
NAU Scottsdale Cmty Coll Campus
9000 E Chaparral,
SCOTTSDALE,
Arizona,
85256, United States
September 2025
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff Campus,
FLAGSTAFF,
Arizona,
86011, United States
A student must have a secondary (high school) and post-secondary (college or university) education, as well as any vocational or ESL grade reports. It is required to have a minimum of a 2.5 grade point average (GPA) for first-year and transfer students.
English Proficiency
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Internet-based testing (TOEFL iBT): an overall score of 70 (School code 4006)
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - 6.0
Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE) - 56
Priority deadlines for undergraduate international student admissions:
Fall semester: apply by March 1 to begin classes in August
Spring semester: apply by September 15 to begin classes in January
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.