Hospitality Management Courses overview
Hospitality management refers to the broad range of activities concerning the proper running of a hotel, restaurant or similar. It involves a combination of interpersonal, analytical and managerial skills. Postgraduate study covers the fundamentals, featuring education in revenue and operations management, managerial finance and more.
Hospitality is something people have been showing one another since ancient times. Monasteries were used as common lodgings for passing travellers in the middle ages, but it wasn’t until a few hundred years ago that it became an industry. More accessible modes of transportation like cars and trains made travel far more accessible to common people, leaving a huge demand for temporary accommodation.
Hotels, restaurants, cruises and all manner of leisure activities are common place nowadays. It is an industry ripe with opportunity for those with the skill and persistence to seize it.
Is hospitality management for me?
Hospitality management is an industry for those who are nourished by providing for others. It’s a demanding profession, requiring multidisciplinary competencies to be a successful manager, but the rewards can be enormous. If you’re the type of person who thrives under high stress and has the will to follow this passion, hospitality management could be for you.
Study pathway
Master degrees and graduate certificates are available in hospitality management, with graduate diplomas being somewhat rarer.
Graduate certificates provide an entry level insight, taking six months of full time study to complete. Programs like those available from James Cook University offer fundamental units in operations management, international tourism and more. These programs can be entered after completing any bachelor degree, making them a highly accessible compliment to any previous study.
Master degrees are two year full time programs that provide extensive knowledge into the field’s intricacies. Students will learn the fundamentals of tourism, hospitality operations management, digital innovation, revenue management and more from the likes of Griffith University and similar institutions. This program in particular offers a dissertation pathway, allowing students to write on a topic of their choosing and develop the field while learning.
Employment options
Event manager
The skills learned throughout these programs make graduates well suited to event management. Learning how to deal with operations, managerial finance and the wealth of interpersonal discipline is all part of event management. Companies like Event Planet hire event managers with these skills to please their clients to the best of their abilities.
Accommodation manager
These professionals provide lodgings to tourists, students and more through a variety of means. They can be responsible for hotels, boarding houses or apartments. Companies like The Hotel Networkthrive on the hard work of accommodation managers.
Restaurant manager
Restaurants are delicate businesses to balance. The skills learned in postgraduate hospitality management allow graduates to excel in this field, however. Companies like The Restaurant Management Group employ skilled restaurant managers to aid a variety of clients in delivering a quality dining experience.
Specialisations
There are a number of specialisations available to hospitality management graduates, including but not limited to: