Pamplin College of Business

Hospitality and Tourism Management

Overview

Choosing a career in the hospitality field means becoming involved in one of the nation's largest industries. The opportunities for employment are broad in scope, and graduates are actively recruited each year by numerous hospitality firms. Management positions are available with hotels, restaurants, contract food service companies, convention bureaus, private clubs, travel and tourism organizations, resorts, theme parks, and corporations. Successful students in this field exhibit strong interpersonal skills, problem solving ability, and good business acumen through careers that do not involve sitting at a desk all day and draws upon their love of travel. They also enjoy being engaged with their team and customers utilizing their high energy, hardworking positive attitude, flexibility, and leadership skills.

This major is designed to prepare business students for successful careers in the Hospitality and Tourism Industries. The program core courses focus on hospitality operations and advanced applications of business principles and strategies to the unique challenges of hospitality and tourism management. Students can choose areas of emphasis in Hospitality Operations Management, Restaurant and Food Management, Meetings and Event Management, Global Tourism Management, and Club and Resort Management. The curriculum includes substantive work experience requirements through internships in the industry. Many students work with the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center on campus or with other hospitality firms throughout Virginia, the USA, and, in some cases, in foreign countries. Study abroad and work experience opportunities exist in Italy, Australia, Switzerland, and the Dominican Republic.

Degree Requirements:

The graduation requirements in effect at the time of graduation apply. When choosing the degree requirements information, always choose the year of your expected date of graduation. Requirements for graduation are referred to via university publications as “Checksheets”. The number of credit hours required for degree completion varies among curricula. Students must satisfactorily complete all requirements and university obligations for degree completion.

The university reserves the right to modify requirements in a degree program. However, the university will not alter degree requirements less than two years from the expected graduation year unless there is a transition plan for students already in the degree program.

Please visit the University Registrar website at http://www.registrar.vt.edu/graduation/checksheets/index.html for degree requirements.

Satisfactory Progress

University policy requires that students who are making satisfactory progress toward a degree meet minimum criteria toward the General Education (Curriculum for Liberal Education) (see "Academics") and toward the degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Satisfactory progress requirements toward the B.S. in Business can be found on the major checksheet by visiting the University Registrar website at http://www.registrar.vt.edu/graduation/checksheets/index.html.

Undergraduate Courses (HTM)

1414: INTRODUCTION TO HOTEL, RESTAURANT, AND INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT
Management in the hospitality industry, its scope, forms of organization, and professional opportunities. (3H,3C)

2434: HOSPITALITY SALES
A comprehensive study of the management of the sales function and its role in the overall financial performance of hospitality operations. (3H,3C)

2454: TRAVEL & TOURISM MANAGEMENT
Survey of travel and tourism in the United States and abroad with a focus on terminology, demographics, economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts of tourism and travel, and the industry's management issues in a global context. (3H,3C)

2464: INTRODUCTION TO SERVICE
An overview of the service industry, history, current status, and future trends. Emphasizes the unique characteristics and operations of service organizations. (3H,3C)

2474: INTRODUCTION TO MEETINGS & CONVENTION MANAGEMENT
A study of the meetings and convention industry. Focus on the components and processes involved in developing and conducting meetings and conventions. (3H,3C)

2514: CATERING MANAGEMENT
Introduces students to various venues in which catering services can be offered, and presents an overview of the functions, processes, and controls found in successful catering management and operations; emphasis is placed on the sales/marketing aspects of the business. (3H,3C)

2954: HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM STUDY ABROAD
This course provides students with an international hospitality and tourism management business experience. It is only offered as part of a program outside the United States. Students will learn from the structured educational experience developed by the faculty directing the study abroad program. This course can be taken twice for a maximum of six credit hours. Sophomore standing and a minimum GPA of 3.0 required. (3H,3C)

2964: FIELD STUDY
X-grade allowed. (3H,3C)

2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.

2984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.

3044: PRIVATE CLUB MANAGEMENT
Develop an understanding of the private club sector of the hospitality industry. Topic areas are divided into club fundamentals, revenue-generating operations within clubs and support functions/departments of club operations. Junior standing as well as background courses in basic financial management are suggested. II (3H,3C)

3114: SPECIAL TOPICS IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM STUDIES
Variable content that addresses timely and complex issues of the hospitality and tourism industry from a variety of disciplines or intellectual domains. This course provides HTM students with knowledge that is not formally part of the curriculum. Students will learn from the structured learning experience and knowledge domain developed by the faculty offering the course. May be repeated up to five times, for a maximum of 15 credit hours with different content. Pre: 1414 or 2454 or 2464. (3H,3C)

3244: FRANCHISING SERVICE INDUSTRIES
Theory and practice of franchising as a form of business ownership and a vehicle for entrepreneurship. Contemporary issues related to franchising in different segments of the services industries including hospitality and tourism. Legal aspects, financial viability, ethical issues, and agency relationships in franchising. Franchise concept development, franchisor-franchisee relationship, franchise agreements, family business, minority franchising, and international franchising. Junior standing required. (3H,3C)

3414: PURCHASING, PRODUCTION, AND MANAGEMENT
Purchasing, preparation, service, and management of a large quantity food service operation. Additional fee required. X-grade allowed. (2H,6L,4C)

3444: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT AND COST CONTROL FOR HOSPITALITY ORGANIZATIONS
The application of accounting, finance, and cost control principles to hospitality industry organizations. The focus if this course is to provide future food service and lodging organization managers with the ability to handle the unique problems regarding financial analysis and cost control in this industry. Pre: ACIS 2116, ECON 2006. Co: FIN 3104. (3H,3C)

3454: TOURISM ANALYSIS
Different aspects of tourism, including origin and destination flow models, tourism destinations and their attractiveness, impacts of tourism, tourist profiles and destination decisions, demand/supply interaction, and barriers to travel are explored and analyzed. (3H,3C)

3484: SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACTS OF TOURISM
A study of both historic and current socio-cultural impacts of tourism on family, community, culture, government, and the environment. The course examines the ways in which tourism has both affected and been affected by modern society worldwide. (3H,3C)

3524: LODGING MANAGEMENT
Organization, function, and management of lodging operations. Current issues and management challenges in the lodging industry. Applications of revenue management to lodging systems. Pre-requisite: Junior standing in the Pamplin College of Business. (3H,3C)

3954: HTM STUDY ABROAD
This course provides students with an international hospitality and tourism management business experience. Students will be required to apply their knowledge and skills from their Pamplin College of Business core courses within this course. Students will learn from the structured educational experience developed by the faculty directing the study abroad program. Pamplin College of Business majors must have been approved for upper division course- work. Variable credit course.

4354: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM
Study of the strategic use of information technology (IT) in today's hospitality and tourism organizations. Study of the most widely used information systems in operation, management, and e-business in hospitality and tourism. Study of social media as a marketing tool for hospitality and tourism businesses. Examine impacts of IT on organizations and the industry as a whole. Pre: MKTG 3104 or MKTG 3104H. (3H,3C)

4414: FOOD AND BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT
Organization, administration, and operation of food service operations. Opportunity is provided for administration of the departmental cafeteria. Additional fee required. X-grade allowed. Pre: 3414. (3H,3C)

4424: EVENTS MANAGEMENT
Management of special events in the hospitality and tourism industry. Students will explore organizational functions necessary for producing special events, as well as analyzing the factors that influence an event's success, such as organizational structure, risk management and the impact of tourism activity. Junior standing in HTM is required. (3H,3C)

4444: WINERY TOURISM
The course focuses on the role of wine and wineries in tourism, wine marketing and management in the hospitality industry, and examines the components of a winery. Students must be 21 years of age due to the inclusion of wine tasting in the course. Additional fee required. (3H,3C)

4454: HOSPITALITY REVENUE MANAGEMENT
Examines lodging and foodservices Revenue Management (RM) issues. Customer-centric approach, explores RM from various traditional academic perspectives, including economics, pricing, forecasting, consumer behavior, accounting, finance, and human resources. Management-oriented, emphasizes practical aspects of decision-making. Applies theoretical concepts through class discussion, group projects and individual assignments. Pre: MKTG 3104 or MKTG 3104H, BIT 2406, ECON 2006. (3H,3C)

4464: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
An overview of the concepts of human resources management as applied to the specific environments within the hospitality industry. Pre: MGT 3304. (3H,3C)

4484: INTERNATIONAL TOURISM
Survey of global travel and tourism issues, including trends and patterns of global tourism, flow models, constraints and obstacles to international travel, demand for travel and tourism, tourism supply distribution, destination competitiveness, tourist safety and security, international travel and tourism organizations, performance measures. Analysis of sustainable indicators in protected areas and world heritage sites, tourism statistics and trends. Pre: MKTG 3104 or MKTG 3104H. (3H,3C)

4964: FIELD STUDY IN HTM
X-grade allowed. Pre: (3414, 3524) or (3414, 3444) or (3254, 3444). (3H,3C)

4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.

4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.

4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.

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