graduate program

The M.S. in Hospitality Management (HM) will prepare students for managerial and leadership positions within the hospitality, tourism, and sport industries such as Director of Sales and Marketing, Director of Food and Beverage, Director of Convention Sales, and Director of Sport & Entertainment for a variety of venues, such as theme parks, sports arenas, motor speedways, and convention centers. Earning a graduate degree in Hospitality Management will also serve as a qualification for entering a doctoral program in Tourism Management, Hospitality Management, Sport and Entertainment Management.

Two curriculum plans are available for Hospitality Management graduate students.

Plan I: Student must earn a minimum of 24 semester hours of credit, including HES 509, and 18 hours in HM courses. Plan I students must complete at least 6 semester hours of thesis research and write a thesis. A final oral examination is required upon completion of the thesis, and a manuscript of publishable quality based on thesis research is expected of each Plan I degree candidate. Student must schedule an appointment with his/her advisor to discuss their thesis topic within the first 4 weeks enrolled in graduate school.

Plan II: Students must complete 30 hours of coursework and successfully pass a comprehensive exam or complete a Capstone Special Project. Students must schedule an appointment with their advisor to begin discussing their special project topic during the first 10 weeks of their first semester in graduate school.

For both options, a grade of “B” or higher must be earned in all courses.

Suggested Plan of study for the hospitality management specialization
30 credit hours

Hospitality Management, MS                                           Hours
RHM 521     Hospitality Law and Risk Management      3
RHM 575     Hospitality Operations Analysis                   3
HES 509       Research Methods                                         3
RHM 596      Seminar Hospitality Management              3
RHM 576      Strat Mgt in Hosp & Tourism                        3
RHM 570      Leaders Mgt Hospitality Industry                3
RHM 592      Special Topics in RHM                                  3
Elective                                                                                   3
Credit Hours Subtotal:                                                        24
Thesis/Non-Thesis Requirements                                    6
RHM 599      Thesis Research       
Or       
Electives - 6 hrs (non-thesis) 1      
Total Hours                                                                           30


Fall Semester (choose 9-12 hours)
  • RHM 596 Seminar in Hospitality Mgt (3hrs) (F)
  • RHM 576 Strategic Mgt in the Hospitality Industry (3hrs) (F)
  • RHM 521 Hospitality Law (3hrs) (F, SP)
  • Elective (3hrs) or Pre-requisite*
 
Spring Semester (choose 9-12 hours)
  • HES 509 Research Methods (3hrs) (F/SP/SU) (statistics required as pre-requisite)
  • RHM 575 Financial Mgt and Hospitality Operations (3hrs) (F, SP)
  • RHM 570 Leadership in the Hospitality Industry (3hrs) (SP)
  • Elective (3hrs) for non-thesis and RHM 599 Research Hours for thesis track
 
Summer (choose 6-10 hours)
  • RHM 592 Special Problems in Hospitality Mgt (3-6 hrs) (F/SP/SU)
  • Elective (3hrs) for non-thesis and RHM 599 Research Hours for thesis track
 
If students make below a "C" in any course, the class credit hours will not be counted toward the 30 required credit hours. For both thesis and non-thesis options, a grade of "B" or higher must be earned in all courses taken in the College of Human Environmental Sciences.

Recommended Graduate Course Electives
 
RHM 551: Sport Properties and venue Management
RHM 561: Marketing, Sales & Public Relations in Sports
RHM 555: Sports Sales and Entrepreneurship
RHM 559: International Strategies in Sports
RHM 570: Leaders Mgt Hospitality Industry
RHM 576: Strategic Management in Hospitality and Tourism
RHM 596: Seminar Hospitality Management
CSM 525: Conflict Resolution Workplace
CSM 527: Emotional Intelligence
CSM 528: Processes of Negotiation
CSM 572 Needs Assessment Plan & Evaluation
CSM 575 Entrepreneurship in HES

Graduation Requirements:
GPA of 3.0 or higher 
Successfully completed and defended a thesis, or Capstone Special Project or
Comprehensive ExamCompleted at 30 credit hours
 
​
A student will need to have taken the following classes prior to taking graduate courses: 1) Food and Beverage, 2) Hotel Operations, and 3) Statistical Data Analysis (ST 260 offered each semester).
Fall Semester (choose 9-12 hours)
  • RHM 596 Seminar in Hospitality Mgt (3hrs) (F)
  • RHM 576 Strategic Mgt in the Hospitality Industry (3hrs) (F)
  • RHM 521 Hospitality Law (3hrs) (F)
  • Elective (3hrs) or Pre-requisite*


Spring Semester (choose 9-12 hours)
  • HES 509 Research Methods (3hrs) (F/SP/SU) (statistics required as pre-requisite)
  • RHM 575 Financial Mgt and Hospitality Operations (3hrs) (SP)
  • RHM 570 Leadership in the Hospitality Industry (3hrs) (SP)
  • Elective (3hrs) for non-thesis and RHM 599 Research Hours for thesis track


Summer (choose 6-10 hours)
  • RHM 592 Special Problems in Hospitality Mgt (1-6 hrs) (F/SP/SU)**
  • Elective (3hrs) for non-thesis and RHM 599 Research Hours for thesis track


*Students who have not completed an undergraduate course in Statistics within the past 3 years are required to take either an undergraduate or graduate course in Statistics (undergraduate course will not count toward graduate credit).

**Students must schedule an appointment with their advisor to begin discussing special problem topics during the first 10 weeks of their first semester in graduate school.

Thesis Track - Student must schedule an appointment with his/her advisor to discuss thesis topic within the first 4 weeks of your first semester in graduate school if you are on the thesis track.

If you make below a "C" in any course, the class credit hours will not be counted toward the 30 required credit hours. For both thesis and non-thesis options, a grade of "B" or higher must be earned in all courses taken in the College of Human Environmental Sciences.

Recommended Graduate Course Electives
  • CSM 500 Personal Insurance Planning and Mgt (3hr)
  • CSM 508 Consumer Quality Management Systems (3 hr)
  • CSM 515 Customer Service (3 hr)
  • CSM 521 Consumer Communications (3 hr)
  • CSM 545 Microcomputers in Consumer Science (3 hr)
  • CSM 575 Entrepreneurship in HES (3 hr)
  • CSM 580 E-Commerce at CHES (3 hr)
  • CSM 586 Consumer Mgt of Human Capital (3 hr)
  • MKT 510 Product Design and Marketing (3 hr)
  • MKT 518 Survey of Marketing (3 hr)
  • MGT 517 Organizational Theory (3 hr)
  • MGT 527 Human Resources Management (3 hr)
  • MGT 511 Employee Recruitment, Selection, & Placement (3 hr)
  • MGT 532 Employee Relations (3 hr)
  • NHM 560 Nutrition in the Life Cycle (3 hr)​


NOTE: Students entering the GHES Graduate Program with an emphasis in Hospitality Management must have completed the following courses as part of their undergraduate program or they will be required to take these courses for undergraduate credit as part of their graduate program:
  • RHM 325 Lodging Operations & Mgt
  • RHM 241 or 377 Mgt of Food & Beverage Operations or Restaurant Management & Service
  • *RHM 468 Practicum in Hospitality (A minimum of 250 hours of work in a hospitality organization – restaurant, on-site foodservice operation, hotel, club, convention and meeting facility)
*Previous work experience in the hospitality industry may be used to meet this requirement. If students have no hospitality related work experience, they must meet the requirement as part of their graduate program.

Comprehensive Exam
Hospitality Management graduate students must successfully complete a written comprehensive exam and an oral exam over course content within the College of Human Environmental Sciences to fulfill requirements for the degree.

The comprehensive written and oral exam must be scheduled with the faculty advisor a minimum of six weeks prior to the end of the semester in which the student plans to complete his/her requirements for the degree.

Additional information
To request further information regarding the Hospitality Management Program, contact Dr. Kimberly Severt at ksevert@ches.ua.edu or at (205) 348-8169.