Hospitality Management programs?

Hi! I was wondering if anyone would have an input into which universities have good hospitality management programs/ are good overall?
I am currently an international fall 2017 freshman at Georgia Tech. My current major here is MSE, and I know it seems like a total 180 to change majors into hospitality management, but, long story short, I finally convinced my parents to let me study what I want, so here I am, looking to transfer for the next semester of possible.
I’m looking for a good university (don’t really want to feel line I’m downgrading from Tech) that offers a good program, and was hoping to get some input into the ones I already have on my list, as well as add some other that you guys might recommend. I’m pretty confused at the moment because the rankings I find vary way too much and I don’t know how recent they are.
Here’s my list:

  1. UNLV: Great program it seems, but I’ve read some not very good things about the university (again, not sure how recent these reviews were), plus I don’t know if the program is good because of academics or because it’s in Vegas.
  2. MSU - Good school, don’t know much about the program, pretty expensive, and I don’t really want to live in Michigan.
  3. Cornell - probably won’t even get accepted, and I hate Ithaca.
  4. University of Houston - looks like a good program, but I’m not sure about the ranking and if it’s a good university. Any input here?

So far those are the ones I’ve been thinking about the most, any other ideas? Please tell me what you know about the schools on my list, and about any others you might know! Any input is appreciated!

Sorry for the lengthy post hehe

University of Delaware has an excellent hospitality program. Campus is lovely, in large suburban area, lots of shops, restaurants etc. In walking distance. Has an Amtrak stop close by, so good access to Philadelphia, DC, NYC, etc.

UHouston is a good University but check into its situation since Harvey.
What about GTech?
UNLV would be a significant downgrade from GTech…overall it’s one of the worst flagships in the country even if it’s hospitality management program is better than the rest.
Cornell is excellent but would likely be expensive.
Seconding the idea of looking into UDel .
Why do you want to study hospitality management? Outside of a handful of programs it does lead to stable employment - you’re better off with a business degree (hospitality as a minor if you really want) and most importantly hospitality internships and placements. In particular look into Northeastern. GTech does have a Business school with excellent placements .

Thank you mamag2855! I will definitely look into that one.

MYOS1634, I’ve always been interested in studying hospitality management, ever since I was little. I was going into engineering to please my parents, but that’s another story. I have considered staying in Tech, but I’m really not looking forward to 4 years of people asking me what I’m doing studying business and looking down on me because of it (yes, that happens. I’ve seen it). I feel like I don’t completely fit in here, and hey, maybe that’s partly my fault, but I would prefer to transfer and do it as soon as possible.

Also, there really is no point in me paying a significantly expensive tuition for a program that’s not top ten when I could go to a better ranked one and pay the same, even if I were to study business. I’m international, remember? We don’t get much aid. Thank you for your help! I you have any other suggestions I look forward to hearing (or reading) them.

University of Denver, Daniels College of Business, Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management

https://daniels.du.edu/hospitality-management/

And would second, or third, Delaware

My daughter faced a similar situation last year and decided to do her undergraduate degree with business . She is planning to seek internships in the hospitality arena and maybe pursue a Masters or an executive degree in Hospitality later on.
She too has been interested in the field of hospitality ever since she was in high school but has decided to pursue it via a business degree as she is not interested in the culinary aspect of hospitality but the business aspect of it. Moreover , we learnt that hospitality is more about experience than education !
Hope that helps!

Thank you, za! I am actually interested in both the culinary and the business aspect, so would a degree in hospitality management be a better fit for me? I feel like it would. People tell me not to go too specific and get a business degree, but I don’t really see myself working in any other areas, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t get too specific. May I ask what school did your daughter decide to attend in the end Did she transfer as well?

TTG, I was actually very interest in DU! Thank you for bringing that up. It seems like a great school, and their after graduation stats look good as well. The only thing that discouraged me was the price. It’s a really expensive school. Do you happen to know if they give out aid to international students?

Unfortunately, since you’ll be an international transfer, aid will be virtually nonexistent. Consider that you’ll have to pay full price everywhere (although some colleges may give you a small scholarship if your grades at GTech are excellent, because everyone knows that’s really really hard and therefore they may want to attract you, but where freshmen may get 30K transfers get 5, perhaps 10K… and that’s American citizens.)

That’s what I thought, MYOS1634… I was really attracted to UD, but I know it’s just not doable. Same with Cornell, but my parents don’t seem to get that so they want me to apply anyways.

@vchavarria,
My daughter too is an international student and studing at the university of Notre dame at present.
As mentioned she was never interested in the culinary aspect of hospitality but since you are, may I suggest you look at options like Lausanne & Glion in Switzerland- Glion is more Business focused with culinary included . These schools are ranked amongst the the best in the world today and are also cheaper than the USA cost wise .
Do check them out
!

@ vcharvarria
To answer your question as to why people suggest that you shouldn’t focus specifically on hospitality - well my take is that if you read reviews on this field , you will realise that it’s one of the most under paid fields . A lot of the the top personnel in hospitality come from business or engineering backgrounds . If you do a business graduate your options for the future widen- The culinary aspect can also be enhanced with courses and hands on experience.This is the conclusion I arrived at after active research in this field while my daughter was considering the same

Thank you za! I originally wanted to go to Europe, but my older sister studies in the US as well, so my parents would rather have us in the same country hahaha

I was just talking to my mom, and she thinks that a university with good rankings in business as well in hospitality management would be good. That being said, my options would be PennState, MSU, Purdue, and Cornell I guess

Why not UDel? It’s definitely as good overall as MSU and better for Business/Hospitality.
But it’s true a less specialized business degree opens more doors and that Hospitality management yields lower pay than other business fields. Experience in hospitality (with a minor possibly) + a degree related to management, organizational leadership, etc, is more important than the “straight” degree. But all four you listed + UDel would be good for internships too.

Look for a program that has its own hotel and/or restaurant owned by the university. At University of Arkansas, for example, they renovated an historic women’s dorm into a boutique hotel located on campus that caters mostly to better-off alumni and important school visitors. Students in the program have the ability to intern/work there during their school year, as well as the normal opportunities for summer and off-campus work. There are various schools who have this sort of set up.

So it sounds like it will be very expensive to transfer. What if you stayed at GT and majored in business but tried to arrange study away for a semester or year, either internationally or domestically (US), at a place where you could study hospitality management? If you go through GT, it can be arranged for all your credits to transfer and you’d still be paying GT tuition. I have no idea what kinds of opportunities would be available, or strong GT’s support for these programs is, but I have attended 932 info sessions (slight exaggeration) where the admissions rep has talked about how these offices have numerous arrangements in place and will look hard for others if that’s what a student needs. Would it be possible to arrange something abroad? Or at Denver, Delaware, or Cornell for the semester or year? Maybe you could check with the appropriate office at GT.

Another option might be to stick at GT and find a summer internship/coop in hospitality management. That way you are learning and doing hospitality without spending a lot.

With regard to comments and reactions at GT, if an engineering or other student is going to look down on someone because they perceive that their major is not as rigorous, or not as prestigious, or not as well-paying, then that means they have issues that they need to work on, not that you have issues that you need to address. There’s nothing wrong with a bright young person pursuing and working hard at their chosen field. It’s far better to be doing what one loves than making more money doing something else. We all get one turn at bat, might as well make it count.

TTG, I am already paying, well, my parents are already paying full tuition here at Tech… It really is no joke that internationals, engineering majors specifically (if you’re not an outright genius) get little to no aid. Somewhere with the same price tag or around the same would not really be much of a change… If I can get something cheaper then great, but I’ve already accepted a long time ago that my education was going to be very expensive.

I talked to my mom last night, and my options changed a bit. We’re now deciding between Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue, and Houston. We decided on those because they seem affordable (well, at least as affordable at tech) and have somewhat of a good ranking in Business. Houston is on the list because it’s a decent school with a good hospitality program, and a good back-up.

  1. Penn State: Apparently this is the better program out of all my options, I think it's ranked 3rd nationally behind UNLV and Virginia Tech (Those two are not options, because UNLV sucks and I don't want to live in Virginia), I have some friends who go there, it would be closer to my sister (something my mom prefers). I would have to go the 2+2 route though(doing two years at a satellite campus and the last 2 at University Park), is this as bad as it seems?
  2. Purdue: Got accepted as a freshman for engineering, anyone know if this might influence my admission decision this time around? The program seems pretty solid and there are like four student-run restaurants on campus. Also, my cousin studies there (engineering). I'm a little hesitant because it's a school mostly known for engineering, and I'm afraid the environment will be as stupid as it is here for non-STEM majors. Any input?

3: MSU: Most expensive out of the 4, but it is a good school and has a good business program, ranked just below PSU. I’m not really crazy about living in East Lansing, but the program has a good reputation, apparently.

4: Houston: This one is ranked the lowest in general out of all 4, but the program looks good, i think i have a good chance of getting in, and it’s the only one placed in a city (living in Atlanta is one of the things I like here, but a college town doesn’t seem so bad either, just harder to get internships maybe), and it’s the cheapest.

What do you guys think? Does this list sound good to you? Oh, I was also talking to my mom and I am planning to do a minor in Accounting or double major in Business. Do you think this will be too hard? If i want to do a double major, is there a specific application I have to complete, or should i just take care of that once i get to the school and talk with an advisor?

IMO, you would be better off just getting a plain business degree. If I were you, I’d go to a councillor in the business department and discuss your goals.

http://blog.capterra.com/thinking-of-a-hospitality-management-degree-6-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-get-one/

If you care at all about the social aspect of going to college you should reconsider doing some kind of program at Penn State where you go to a sattelite school and then transfer to the main campus. It’s especially not optimal since you are already transferring from GT. If you insist on transfering find a school that you can stick with until you graduate. It gives you an opportunity to settle in and make strong connections to others.

Email Penn State and ask, if transferring from GTech with … credits into the Hospitality program, you start on Main Campus. Not worth it if you have to start at a satellite campus.

Purdue will be just like GTech wrt to its non STEM majors. In my opinion if what you dislike at GTech is being a business major at a tech school, Purdue won’t be an improvement.

Note sure why you’re okay with MSU not UDel. UDel would have a more pleasant environment and better weather to boot.

UHouston: check into the state of things (Harvey).