College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Cornell University
• Fairleigh Dickinson University
• Drexel University

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Michigan State University
• University of Nevada at Las Vegas
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute
• University of Massachusetts—Amherst
• Pennsylvania State University

Classes in the Major

Economics: Tackling some lower-level econ courses is crucial to becoming the world's best hotel or restaurant manager. Initially, you might think that not charging someone for a meal is a pretty big loss, but if a normal pizza gets mistaken for a gluten-free one, what's forty dollars compared to the patronage you could potentially lose? You gotta butter 'em up somehow, because "sorry" doesn't prevent a lawsuit.

Basically, you need to know when to cut your losses. Studying Economics will train you for that. Mistakes are inevitable, after all. To err is undeniably human, but to forgive (after compensation) is divine.

Financial Operations: This goes along with the economics courses you'll be taking. Signing into a hotel, preparing a meal, and not getting sued are all financial matters that you've got to know your way around. You won't be diving into the depths of the stock market, so don't worry about all that super complicated mumbo jumbo. Sure, the title might bore you right into Snoozeville, but it's one of the most useful courses you'll take.

Lodging Management: "Hospitality" can mean different things, but it often refers to lodging. From Motel 6 to the Hilton, there's a lot of variety when it comes to lodging. In a class like Lodging Management, you basically learn how to get people to pay you for letting them stay at your place. Sounds simple enough. Buy a place, charge people to stay there, collect tons of money, repeat. Yep, not too shabby.

Food and Beverage Management: The food and beverage aspect of hospitality management is bigger than you might expect. On a small scale, dinner for a family can turn into a hundred-dollar expense, but compare that to what Donald Trump must drop on a dinner bill at a fancy shmancy place. Yikes. All those lobsters and steak can really add up, and it's up to the management to make sure they stay happy and stay for dessert.

Tourism, Convention, and Event Management: People with disposable incomes spend a lot of their time travelling and spending said income. Tourism, Convention, and Event Management is the branch of hospitality that sees large influxes of money in short time spans. A monster truck show in New York could mean a monster truckload of money being spent for hotel visits, and summer vacation in Cape Cod is more expensive than replacing most body parts. You'll learn all about how to anticipate and plan for these sudden spurts of money, and how to take the most advantage of situations like this so that your customers turn into regulars.