Master of Science in Hospitality Management

The Program

The Master of Science in Hospitality Management is a 36-credit hour program offered through the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s School of Hotel & Restaurant Management. The program will educate students to use strategic development techniques in a variety of private, public and institutional sectors of hospitality environments. Graduates of this program will go on to play a vital role in addressing the changes and challenges in the hospitality industry within our region, state, nation and world. A hospitality leader, to be effective, must possess a wide range of strategic and conceptual skills. Our program is, therefore, designed to foster strong analytical skills, technological abilities, effective communication and strong logical ethical approaches to the hospitality industry and academia. Case studies, experiential learning, group projects, and presentations are utilized, along with the more traditional lecture-discussion approach.

Students graduating with this degree will be attractive to corporate offices of hospitality businesses where they will focus on strategic decision-making in the development of hospitality models in the areas of organizational effectiveness, finance, development and acquisition of hospitality ventures and the expanded use of the Internet to improve and expand customer service. Upon graduation, some students may continue their education and pursue a Ph.D. degree.

The Faculty

The majority of the courses are taught by resident faculty from USF Sarasota-Manatee. Additional information regarding our faculty can be found at http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/Academics/SHRM/Faculty

Class Meetings

All classes meet at USF Sarasota-Manatee during the week. Check the Class Schedule for detailed information at http://www.registrar.usf.edu/ssearch/search.php

Admission Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a regionally accredited university in hospitality or related field.
Plus one of the following:
- 3.0 (out of 4.0 scale) or higher overall or upper division GPA in the baccalaureate degree.
- A satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) OR (GMAT) Graduate Management Admissions Test.

Graduate Application Instructions

Applications should be submitted online at http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/Students/Admissions. Click “Apply online!” and follow steps to apply.

Applications must include the following:

$30.00 application fee. This fee is required of all applicants including USF graduates.
GRE or GMAT test scores taken within the last 5 years if your overall or upper division GPA in the baccalaureate degree is less than 3.0. You may submit your application without your GRE/GMAT scores, but please include the date you plan to take the test. Please note that you must submit your score on the GRE and/or GMAT if you are going to apply for an assistantship.
For International Students Only: TOEFL score of at least 550 on paper based test, 213 on the computer based test, 79 on the Internet based test OR A score of at least 6.5 on IELTS.
One (1) official transcript from all institutions of higher learning where the applicant has earned a degree. It is not necessary to send USF transcripts. (All foreign transcripts require a course by course evaluation from an approved foreign transcript evaluation service.) For more information, please go to: http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/Students/Admissions/foreigntranscript.php
A current resume with employer references which includes at least one of the following: one year of full-time experience in a management capacity in the hospitality industry or in a related industry, a minimum of one year of full-time teaching experience in a hospitality management program, or three years of consecutive full-time entry level experience in hospitality or in a related industry.
A brief essay of approximately 500-1000 words describing:
- The applicant’s background
- Future Career goals
- Reasons for pursuing a graduate degree and how the MS in Hospitality Management degree can help the candidate reach their career goals.
Three letters of recommendation: Educational and/or Professional References accepted. Reference letter may be emailed or mailed to:

Aaron Reecher
Graduate Program Specialist
USF Sarasota-Manatee
8350 N. Tamiami Trail, SMC C107
Sarasota, FL 34243
Telephone: 941-359-4333
Email: areecher@sar.usf.edu

All application materials (hard copy) should be mailed to:
USF Sarasota-Manatee Graduate Admissions
8350 N. Tamiami Trail, SMC-C107
Sarasota, FL 34243

Application Deadlines

	Fall	Spring
Student Deadlines	June 1	October 15
International Student Deadlines	March 15	August 15

Cost of the Program

Please visit http://usfweb2.usf.edu/uco/cashaccounting/tuition.asp for current Graduate level tuition and fees. The cost reflects only tuition cost and does not include cost of text books or other course related materials or fees.

Assistantships

SHRM has few graduate assistantships available. Graduate assistantships are very competitive, and they depend on availability of funds in the School from year to year. In order to receive an assistantship, a student must be accepted by the SHRM. Assistantships are granted on an annual basis with renewal contingent upon satisfactory academic performance. Students who earn assistantships will be assigned research responsibilities as well as assisting with the teaching and management of the undergraduate courses as assigned. If you plan to apply for a graduate assistantship, you must submit a GRE or GMAT score regardless of your undergraduate GPA. If you are interested in applying for an assistantship, please fill out this form once you are accepted: http://sarasota.usf.edu/academics/shrm/gradassistantform.php . You can fill out this form before you are accepted but it will not be acted on until you are fully accepted to the program.

The Curriculum

The MS in Hospitality Management requires a total of 36 credit hours:

15 Credit Hours of Hospitality Management (Core)
3 Credit Hours of Statistics
3 Credit Hours of Hospitality Research Methodology
9 Credit Hours of Specialization
6 Credit Hours of Master’s Thesis or Professional Project

Core Courses (Required)

HFT 6477	Hospitality Finance for Acquisition and Development
HFT 6296	Strategic Management and Competitive Strategy for Hospitality and Tourism
HFT 6596	Marketing Leadership for Hospitality and Tourism
HFT 6246	Organizational Effectiveness for Hospitality
HFT 6507	Hospitality and Tourism Information Systems and Technology

Statistics and Hospitality Research Methodology Courses (Required)

TBD	A Statistics course
HFT 6586	Research Methods for Hospitality and Tourism

Specialization Courses (3 courses chosen with advisor)

HFT 6555	Hospitality E-Marketing
HFT 6446	Graduate Seminar in Hospitality Information Systems
HFT 6259	Graduate Seminar in Lodging Management
HFT 6267	Graduate Seminar in Restaurant and Foodservice Management
HFT 6335	Graduate Seminar in Club Management
HFT 6756	Graduate Seminar in Convention and Exhibition Management
HFT 6257	Graduate Seminar in Hospitality Management

Research Thesis or Professional Project Option Courses (one course required)

HFT 6972	Master’s Thesis OR
HFT 6916	Master’s Professional Project

NOTE: Students may choose to complete the thesis or professional project. See Advisor before choosing.
NOTE: Students must see Advisor before taking the statistics and research methods course.

For additional information please contact: