<p>Im trying to decide between Johnson and Wales University or Niagara University. Which one is better for hospitality/tourism? Im actually going to major in Tourism Management. Any info would be awesome! Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>@ princesasabia</p>
<p>I would also consider Cornell University. They have a good hospitality program.</p>
<p>Boston University also has a School of Hospitality Administration that has grown a lot in popularity in the past years (four years ago, enrollment went from 20 to 100).</p>
<p>The SHA also has a beautiful, brand-new (2004?) building.</p>
<p>UNLV has the best program in the nation, hands down.
I say this due to the fact that I work with many of their grads (MGM Mirage). They come out of school better equipped for real world success in this field better than any other school.
Cornell is a great college, but UNLV offers so many opportunities to get real world experience during your education (mandatory 1000 hours work + 300 internship hours to graduate). This field is all about your real world management experience!
You will also have the opportunity to step right into a leadership position after graduation if you do your internship through MGM Mirage, Harrah's, or Wynn.
Add the hundreds of millions of dollars they are putting into the campus, the countless number of connections you make in the industry, and the possibility for Corporations to pay for your education (MGM Mirage is paying for 1/3 of my masters), it is definitely the best place for this type of education.</p>
<p>Johnson and Whales is better of the 2, but neither compare to UNLV.</p>
<p>If you're looking in the northest, try these schools:</p>
<p>East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
Temple University
Widener University
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
University of New Haven
St. John's University (Queens, NY)</p>
<p>Boston University and University of Mass Amherst also have programs</p>
<p>Johnson and Wales and Cornell are more culinary-oriented.</p>
<p>I worked in a rising restaurant chain a few years ago in DC. A survey of the store managers: 1 Niagara, 1 Wisconsin, 1 Georgia Southern, 2 Johnson & Wales, 4 Penn State, 6 Delaware. Granted, PSU, Delaware and J&W (both went to the defunct Norfolk program) may be a regional thing.</p>
<p>You must live in an area where hospitality and tourism are prevalent. It is imperative to gain real world experience in this field... not only for job prospects after college, but to realize if this is really what you want to do forever!
It is a difficult industry to work in. Many late nights and long hours, managers often start at a low salary if they have no experience, and hotel/restaurant culture is 'unique' to put it politely.
I would honestly say the average college grad with little or no experience can expect 10 - 12 hour work days, at least 5 days a week, for approx 30k - 40k; that includes working extra hours on holidays!</p>
<p>Many college programs operate restaurants and hotels</p>
<p>Northern Arizona University (NAU) also has a School of Hotel and Restaurant Management that is well-regarded, particularly in the Southwest. Students operate a hotel/conference center on campus and have internships with 4 and 5-star resorts and restaurants in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.</p>
<p>Cornell is hardly culinary unless you opt to do a dual degree with Cornell and the Culinary Institute of America. My son is at Cornell but also looked at JWU, Penn State, Virginia Tech, UNLV and University of Houston. All had decent programs but my concern with JWU is two fold. If you decide to tranfers, little to no credits would go with you. and 2 the academics didnt appear to be "challenging". my son had it down to Houston and UNLV when he was accepted at Cornell. he opted to go with the top Hotel School in the world.</p>
<p>Purdue has one of the best HTM programs in the country. :-)</p>
<p>I must add one thing.
As someone who has been in the restaurant business since I got my working papers, I must say that it is extremely beneficial to work in the industry for a while. It is a tough, thankless field that rewards few. The top positions that pay over 100k a year are few and far between.
(expect 60+ hour work weeks, working overtime on every holiday, low starting salaries, and vicious bitter co workers)
To anyone thinking of majoring in hospitality anything, I would offer this up:
If you major in business, you can always do hospitality management, and switch into something else if it isn't for you. If you do Hospitality as a major, you are almost stuck in this industry, a fate I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
After 15 years in, and staring at my 30th birthday dead in the face, I am getting my MBA & I am running out of this business and never coming back!!!!</p>
<p>Thanks VegasSommelier you gave me some helpful information! Yeah I have decided that Hospitality is not for me. Its not as glamourous or fun as people think it is. Im not going to work my ass off and get lousy pay. I was thinking of maybe doing accounting/ or finance. Now I dont even know about that because I have been hearing about those jobs being outsourced!</p>
<p>Glamour is not something that I associate with the food and beverage industry. Granted, I live in Vegas and work on the strip, so I am definitely tapped in for hook ups; but it gets old very fast.
Do finance or economics, study wine and food, and you can get a 'cushy' job for a hotel corporation no problem; hospitality management is tough, because you are essentially trapped for a while. And, you will be managing with people who did not even graduate high school (like myself) who make basically the same amount of money. It makes you want to kick your own ass.
And, an MBA will take you farther, faster in this business. MHA is really for people who lack experience in the industry... and an undergrad hospitality major seems almost pointless to me at this time.</p>