School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management
Robin DiPietro, Director
Degree Offered (30 Hours)
Master of International Hospitality and Tourism Management
The School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management offers a program leading to the Master of International Hospitality and Tourism Management (M.I.H.T.M.). The M.I.H.T.M. is designed to prepare students for advanced careers in the hospitality and tourism field. Students best suited for the program are career-minded individuals, with previous management experience, who are seeking advancement to upper-level management positions. Graduates of the program may take advantage of emerging opportunities in senior leadership roles within the areas of hotels and resorts, club management, event management, tourism marketing, data analytics, hospitality education, hospitality and tourism research, and consulting. Students choose from one of two tracks, academic or professional. The program requires a minimum of 30 hours for completion.
Degree Offered (60 Hours)
The Ph.D. program in Hospitality Management
The School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Hospitality Management focused on lodging, foodservice, and travel and tourism management. Graduates will be prepared to conduct both theoretical and applied research within the broad array of domains of hospitality and tourism management. In addition, graduates will be equipped with the skills to be effective teachers and mentors to students, as well as to be valuable resources for industry professionals. The program is based on a four year program of study consisting of 60 credit hours.
Admission Requirements
Admission requirements conform with the general regulations of The Graduate School and regional and national accreditation standards. Applicants must submit to The Graduate School an application along with a $50 nonrefundable application fee; official transcripts (mailed to the USC Graduate School) showing their complete academic record; two letters of recommendation; resume; statement of purpose; records of immunization (if born after December 31, 1956); and reports of examination scores on the GRE or GMAT.
The admission process involves evaluation of applicant characteristics in an attempt to determine intellectual ability and willingness to do the work required to complete the curriculum. Realizing that many admission decisions are somewhat subjective, anyone reviewing applications for admission to the Master of International Hospitality and Tourism Management program must consider the overall academic record (GPA; course of study; school[s] attended; degrees earned; GRE or GMAT scores and scores on any other standardized tests; performance in quantitative, hospitality/tourism, or business-related courses; work experience and level of responsibility; extracurricular and community activities; and letters of recommendation). These items may be supplemented by personal or telephone interviews at the discretion of the reviewer or when requested by the graduate director.
International applicants whose native language is not English are also required to submit a satisfactory score on the TOEFL or the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam. The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 80 (internet-based). The minimum acceptable overall band score on the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam is 6.5.
Students wishing to enter the M.I.H.T.M. program should have completed business courses in the areas of personal computers, statistics, finance, marketing, and management principles and hospitality courses in food-service management, hotel operations, and tourism. Certain prerequisites may be waived for students who have demonstrated a high degree of competence in a related area.
Courses
This course will help students learn and apply concepts comprising talent management, including the role that talent management plays in the strategic management of hospitality and tourism operations, diversity, recruitment, selection, training and development of talent within the organization, as well as performance management for hospitality supervisors and management.
Examination of revenue management in the hospitality industry with an emphasis on the theory and dynamics of revenue management, the implementation of capacity management, forecasting and discounting.
Multicultural, multiracial, and multiethnic factors within the hospitality and tourism industry.
This course will give students an overview of the theme park and attractions industry. We will explore each of the areas of this industry including: history, venues, resources, ride operations, merchandising, food service and design.
Individualized security programs, procedures, legal issues, and review of local, state, and federal laws that apply to the lodging and restaurant industry.
Advanced principles of the management of hotels and resorts.
Graduation with Leadership Distinction: GLD: Professional and Civic Engagement Leadership Experiences
Experiential Learning: Experiential Learning Opportunity
Analysis of current issues and problems in the meetings industry with emphasis on planning, organizing, managing, and enhancing meetings.
Analysis of the structure of international lodging companies, challenges of marketing U.S. lodging companies abroad, and cultural differences in international management.
Management of the timeshare and vacation ownership industry.
An advanced study of the food-service industry and its operations both internally and externally to the physical plant.
The Global Business of Beverage Management, exploring the global beverage industry from product management perspective, from raw materials to end user.
A viticultural and enological study of wine and wine regions around the world; from the vineyard to the table including grape varietals, wine regions and wine service. Students must be 21 years old.
This course will focus on the study of multi-unit and franchise operations within the hospitality and tourism industry.
Analysis of the adventure travel industry throughout the world, with emphasis on the management, marketing, and operation of an adventure travel business.
Information technologies such as e-commerce, e-marketing, and e-research are examined, critiqued, and applied within a tourism context.
Advanced topics in hospitality management for the club industry.
Advanced concepts, issues, and trends in the hospitality and tourism industry. May be taken twice for degree credit.
Effective practices used in the planning, development, and promotion of golf tourism. Experiential learning component for evaluating selected issues, problem solving, and participating in the operational performance of a large golf tournament. Employment with a pre-approved golf tournament or permission of instructor.
Examines superior customer service in high-quality business operations for a mega golf- tourism event; includes an experiential learning/fieldwork component.
Immersive study of international/domestic hospitality or tourism companies in a specially chosen host country or region of the United States. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0; no pending or past judicial council infractions.
Study of the economic, social, cultural, political, and environmental considerations of international tourism management and development.
The study of financial management related to the hospitality industry.
Strategic decision-making, planning, and leadership relative to the hospitality industry.
Analysis, planning, and control of the service function in hospitality organizations with emphasis on management problems.
Strategic marketing process for hospitality organizations.
Feasibility studies, functional planning and design, equipment and utilities management.
Consideration and analysis of relevant contemporary problems and issues presently facing managers in the lodging industry.
Critical issues impacting the management of food-service organizations.
Issues in travel and tourism.
Examination of the Olympic Games, a mega sport and tourism event, and its impact on the sport, entertainment, hospitality and tourism sectors.
Cross-listed course: SPTE 781
Management of resort complexes, including master plan development, ecological concerns, and recreational activities development.
Work experience and participation in management decision-making in a hospitality and tourism business environment. Positions assigned on an individual basis with emphasis on oral and written communication skills, planning, and problem solving.
Independent study for advanced students under faculty supervision. May be taken twice for degree credit.
Thesis preparation in international hospitality and tourism management.
Examination of serious inquiry, philosophical foundations and schools of thought, and the contributions from social and behavioral sciences that heavily influence hospitality management.
An introduction to college level teaching; major components include related theory, current research, instructional design, and the application of effective strategies in the teaching-learning process. Emphasis is also aligned with Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) for instruction and planning for future implementation in HRSM curriculum.
Seminar of current topics related to research, teaching and grant writing in hospitality management. As part of the PhD program requirement, the course must be taken twice during the tenure of a student at USC Columbia.