Hospitality & Tourism Programs in the USA

Delaware County Community College

Just 30 minutes from Philadelphia, Delaware County Community College gives hospitality students the opportunity to intern, and later work, in a variety of renowned hotels, restaurants, casinos, country clubs and more. 

Led by expert faculty who have worked in the field, the College’s two-year Hotel and Restaurant Management associate degree provides a strong foundation for students interested in an exciting, rewarding career in hospitality. Students are taught the supervisory skills needed to operate a hotel, bed and breakfast, inn and restaurant. They learn vital industry skills in human resource management, marketing and sales techniques. In addition, they become certified in food handling sanitation through ServSafe, an important U.S. food safety certification. 

Students have opportunities to pursue internships to discover what the field is like and to gain hands-on experience. In the past, students have interned at a number of renowned organizations, including Walt Disney World, the Philadelphia Hotel Association, Wawa, Wegmans, Longwood Gardens and many Philadelphia-area hotels and restaurants.

After completing the program, students can begin their career or transfer to a four-year university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. A range of organizations have hired Delaware County Community College graduates, including Hilton Garden Inn, Hotel DuPont, Aramark, Springhaven Country Club and more. Many four-year colleges and universities in Philadelphia offer hotel and restaurant management programs and the College provides advising to help students with the transfer process. Students often transfer to Drexel University, Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management and Widener University.

Highline College

International students can also enter this field through community college programs such as the Hospitality & Tourism Management program at Highline College in Des Moines, south of Seattle in Washington State. Highline provides an education focused on front office, food and beverage, housekeeping operations and management in a hotel, and also features an in-depth internship.

Faculty come from a wide variety of professional backgrounds. While qualifications may differ, generally speaking, faculty members have at least a master’s degree and extensive experience in the industry. They are dedicated, hard-working and genuinely care for their students.

Kirkwood Community College

Kirkwood Community College’s Hotel Management program is delivered within the onsite seventy-one room full service hotel property, The Hotel at Kirkwood. The hotel is a AAA Four Diamond rated property designed to provide students with hotel operations experience and extensive real-time training.

The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) Degree program uniquely affords students with opportunities to receive instruction and career development from the experienced faculty within the Hospitality Arts department and also from the senior leadership team of The Hotel at Kirkwood: General Manager, Director of Sales, Director of Food and Beverage, Front Office Manager, Executive Housekeeper and other leaders. Students are taught how to run a successfully functioning hotel property.

“Not a lot of schools put you face-to-face with real life guests and real life situations so I think that this program really sets itself apart from other programs,” explains hospitality alumnus, Jared Alberts.

Graduates of the Hotel Management program are positioned to either enter the job market at the supervisory level as Assistant Front Office Managers, Sales Coordinators, Banquet Captains, Housekeeping Supervisors, or Restaurant Supervisors, or to further their education by transferring Kirkwood credits to a number of local, regional, or national accredited universities in the pursuit of baccalaureate degrees in Hospitality Management.

Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Hospitality Management

South Seattle College

South Seattle College’s Bachelor’s of Applied Science (BAS) in Hospitality Management program offers courses in Service Operation Management, Hospitality Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, and many more. Located in beautiful West Seattle, it is the longest running and most established BAS program in Washington State. The program has a distinguished, active Board of Technical Advisors representing all major hospitality players in the area including Four Seasons, Microsoft, Starbucks, Alaska Airlines, and Holland America. The Board members offer their expertise and mentorship to the Hospitality students. They are also on the lookout for talent and dedication, and often hire from the graduating class. The program has an unmatched graduation rate, and nearly 100 percent job placement. 

The close connection between the Hospitality Management Program and industry partners, in one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S., ensures both rigorous academic standards and current industry relevant curriculum content. The BAS faculty and staff facilitate connections between the students and industry leaders either through field trips and site tours, class visits and lectures by senior professionals, or individual connections.

BAS students, Class of 2017

“The most rewarding part of my job is helping students find their passion and connecting them with the right employer,” says Hana Kabele Gala, Phd. a member of the Hospitality Management Faculty at South Seattle College.

Many students participate in the paid internship program at the Four Seasons Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or learn about event planning or Food and Beverage management on the Microsoft campus nearby. International students are eligible to apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) after completing three consecutive quarters of their academic study and Optional Practical Training (OPT) which allows students to work in the U.S. for one year after they graduate.

Starting in January 2018, South Seattle College will be also offering an online six month certificate in On Site Dining Management in partnership with America’s largest on site foodservice operators such as Aramark, Sodexo, Compass Group USA, or Mars drinks.  

Skagit Valley College

At Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, Washington, farm-to-table isn’t just a philosophy, it’s a practice. Students in the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program plant and maintain gardens that produce fruits and vegetables for daily meals in the campus’ Bistro Kitchen and Hot Express.

“We are passionate about growing our own produce,” says Lyn Highet, the college’s Food Services Manager.

Founded in 1978, the program has diversified to incorporate agriculture and sustainable food systems and practices such as composting—Skagit was the first college to start a composting program. Skagit is also developing culinary artisan programs as Washington State boasts many nationally recognized artisan cheesemakers, charcutiers and brewers.

Students in the program master the culinary fundamentals and techniques such as making stocks from scratch for daily soups and grinding meat for hamburgers.

The area around Skagit Valley College is fertile and agriculturally rich, lending it to many farmers, of both land and sea, and culinary artisans. Students take fieldtrips to meet producers like the farmers at Taylor Shellfish Farms, the largest producer of Manila clams in the USA.

Students who complete the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program earn an Associate and Technical Arts degree. Many students either begin their careers or move on to advanced culinary programs.