Hospitality Management major

Hospitality Management: courses, careers, and where to study

Hospitality Management combines business fundamentals with the operation of hotels, restaurants, events, and tourism, suiting students who want to run guest-facing service businesses.

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Hospitality Management earn a median $56,726 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $40,953 to $73,841 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college

A Hospitality Management major is typically a bachelor's degree that applies core business skills, accounting, marketing, finance, and human resources, to the lodging, food-service, events, and travel industries. Coursework covers hotel and resort operations, restaurant and food-and-beverage management, event and meeting planning, revenue management, and the service-quality practices that shape guest experience. Many programs require a supervised internship or practicum in a hotel, restaurant, conference venue, or tourism organization.

Graduates manage the day-to-day operations of properties and venues: scheduling and supervising staff, controlling food and labor costs, setting room rates and tracking occupancy, coordinating events, and resolving guest issues. Roles span hotels and resorts, restaurant groups, casinos, cruise lines, convention centers, and destination-marketing organizations, often starting in an assistant or department-supervisor role before advancing into property or regional management.

For lodging managers, one common destination for graduates, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 3.4% employment growth from 2024 to 2034 and reports a 2024 median wage of $68,130. A four-year hospitality degree is a common path into management roles and the broader field.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Hospitality Management maps to CIP 52.0901, Hospitality Administration/Management, General, within the BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES family. The official definition:

A program that prepares individuals to serve as general managers and directors of hospitality operations on a system-wide basis, including both travel arrangements and promotion and the provision of traveler facilities. Includes instruction in principles of operations in the travel and tourism, hotel and lodging facilities, food services, and recreation facilities industries; hospitality marketing strategies; hospitality planning; management and coordination of franchise and unit operations; business management; accounting and financial management; hospitality transportation and logistics; and hospitality industry policies and regulations.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential Hospitality Management is awarded as

Of the 7,725 Hospitality Management credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:

  • Certificate: 19%, 1,439 credentials.
  • Associate: 14%, 1,055 credentials.
  • Bachelor's: 57%, 4,384 credentials.
  • Graduate: 11%, 847 credentials.

This is one of the fields where the answer genuinely depends on where you study: across the 32 states reporting it, certificates run from 0% of credentials in the 10th-percentile state to 64% in the 90th. Check the mix in your state before assuming which credential a program leads to. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • Hotel, resort, and lodging operations management
  • Restaurant and food-and-beverage management, including cost control
  • Event, meeting, and convention planning
  • Revenue management, pricing, and occupancy/yield analysis
  • Hospitality marketing, branding, and guest-experience design
  • Hospitality accounting and financial management
  • Human resources, staffing, and front-of-house/back-of-house supervision
  • A supervised internship or practicum in a hospitality setting

Typical careers

  • Lodging managers
  • Food Service / Restaurant Manager
  • Event and Meeting Planner
  • Front Office / Guest Services Manager
  • Revenue Manager
  • Resort or Tourism Operations Manager

Typical salary range: Informational only (BLS, 2024 lodging managers median $68,130). Not a starting wage.Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

How much do Hospitality Management graduates earn?

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Hospitality Management earn a median $56,726 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $40,953 to $73,841 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

National median earnings four years after graduating for Hospitality Management, by credential
CredentialNational medianMiddle half of programs
Bachelor's$56,726$40,953 to $73,841
Associate's$41,099$27,116 to $54,719
Undergraduate certificate$40,962$23,079 to $58,258
Master's$74,856$55,128 to $97,905

Compare Hospitality Management programs in your state

Highest-earning bachelor's Hospitality Management programs

Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Hospitality Administration/Management. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Hospitality Management, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with Hospitality Management by the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
Food Service Managers$65,31042,000+6.4%High school diploma or equivalent
Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling$77,1805,500+7.7%Bachelor's degree
Lodging Managers$68,1305,400+3.4%High school diploma or equivalent
Personal Service Managers, All Other$61,3402,100+6.5%High school diploma or equivalent

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 4 of these 4 occupations report a median wage.

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Hospitality Management does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

Before you commit to a Hospitality Management major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Hospitality Management program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the Hospitality Management department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Business programs may hold AACSB, ACBSP, or IACBE accreditation (AACSB is the most selective). Accreditation can affect graduate-school admission and some employers, so confirm it for any Hospitality Management program you shortlist.
Degree level & graduate study: Many Hospitality Management careers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a Hospitality Management program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most Hospitality Management credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search Hospitality Management schools

Where Hospitality Management credentials were awarded

24 states have a distinct enough set of Hospitality Management colleges to be worth its own page.

Hospitality Management by state

Every Hospitality Management program with its own CampusPin page

66 programs in 30 states, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.

Hospitality Management programs in Alabama, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Arizona, 2 programs
Hospitality Management programs in California, 5 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Colorado, 2 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Delaware, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Florida, 5 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Georgia, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Hawaii, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Illinois, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Indiana, 3 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Iowa, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Kansas, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Kentucky, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Massachusetts, 3 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Michigan, 3 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Missouri, 2 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Nebraska, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Nevada, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in New Hampshire, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in New Jersey, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in New York, 6 programs
Hospitality Management programs in North Carolina, 2 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Ohio, 2 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Oklahoma, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Pennsylvania, 3 programs
Hospitality Management programs in South Carolina, 4 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Texas, 6 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Virginia, 3 programs
Hospitality Management programs in Washington, 1 program
Hospitality Management programs in Wisconsin, 1 program

Related majors

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Hospitality Management degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

Explore Management careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Hospitality Management degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Hospitality Management path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.