Objectives
The educational objectives of the MBA/MS in Hospitality Manangement are to:
- Offer qualified graduate students the option of completing another concentration and MS in Hospitality Management as interdisciplinary dual degree programs.
- Prepare graduates to serve effectively in businesses where the core competency focuses on hospitality management.
- Enhance career growth potential for upper-level positions of responsibility (e.g. General Manager, Division Manager, Regional Manager, Vice President, CEO) in business where the core competency focuses on hospitality management.
- Expand career potential to a wide range of businesses.
General Information
An applicant must indicate MBA (concentration) and MS in Hospitality Management on the graduate application. Graduate School will send one copy of the submitted materials to the College of Business Administration (COBA) and another copy to the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management (SMHM).
In most cases, the student will be required to take background courses in business or hospitality management, but not both. However, a student who does not have an undergraduate degree in either discipline may have to take the background courses from both areas. Minimum admission standards of both disciplines must be met including a satisfactory score on the GMAT.
The GRE will be considered if an applicant has taken that test prior to applying for the joint program. If the applicant has not taken either test, then the GMAT should be taken. Scores more than 10 years old at the time of application for admission will not be considered.
Applicants whose native language is not English must either present a minimum TOEFL score of at least 550 (paper) or 213 (computer-based), successfully complete an Intensive English Language program, or be a graduate of a college or university in the United States.
MBA: During the first semester, the student is to meet with a specified departmental advisor in business to initiate the degree plan process. The degree plan must be approved by the appropriate individuals and then a copy will be mailed to the student. Degree plan changes must be approved by the departmental advisor.
MS: The student is also to meet with the graduate advisor in the SMHM. The graduate advisor is the contact person for the new student until the major professor is identified. The major professor assists a student in filing a degree plan to the Toulouse School of Graduate Studies. The degree plan must be approved by the dean of SMHM. Any degree plan change must have prior consent of the student's major professor and approval of the SMHM Dean.
Awarding of Degrees
Upon completion of the background courses in either business or hospitality management or both, the student will complete 30 hours of graduate courses in business and 24 hours of graduate courses in hospitality management. Six hours of the completed hospitality management degree will count as electives in the business concentration. The written comprehensive examination for the MBA is satisfied by the completion of BUSI 5190 - Administrative Strategy.
The MBA/MS is the non-thesis option and the student must pass a written comprehensive exam upon completion of the SMHM course work. A student who has completed an undergraduate degree in hospitality management can elect to complete a thesis as part of the MS degree. In this case, the student is required to complete SMHM 5300 Research Methods (3 hrs.) and SMHM 5950 Master's Thesis (6 hrs.).
Background Courses (16.5 hours)
All students must fullfil the MBA program's background course requirements.
For MS: (13 hours)
- SMHM 1420
- Food Sanitation (1 hour) - Required by the State of Texas for certification in safe food handling. Course includes taking certification exam
- SMHM 1470
- Introduction to Professional Food Preparation (3 hours)
- SMHM 2550
- Restaurant Operations I (3 hours)
- SMHM 3700
- Hotel Operations (3 hours)
- SMHM 4210
- Hospitality Cost Controls (3 hours)
MBA Core Courses (18 hours)
All students must fullfil the MBA Program's course requirements.
Concentration (12 hours)
The departmental advisor will determine which twelve hours the student will complete. The areas of specialization include: accounting, strategic management, e-business, finance, health services management, logistics and supply chain management, marketing, operations and supply chain management, organizational behavior and human resource management, information technology, decision technology, and decision sciences.
MS in Hospitality Management (24 hours)
Courses chosen from the following:
- SMHM 5250
- Restaurant Development
- SMHM 5280
- Hotel and Restaurant Operations: Theory and Analysis
- SMHM 5300
- Research Methods in Merchandising & Hospitality Management*#
- SMHM 5350
- Issues and Trends in Merchandising and Hospitality Management
- SMHM 5400
- Research Applications in Merchandising & Hospitality Management*
- SMHM 5460
- Human Relations in Merchandising & Hospitality Management*
- SMHM 5550
- Promotional Strategies*
- SMHM 5600
- Concept Merchandising*
- SMHM 5700
- Service Excellence*
- SMHM 5790
- Electronic Merchandising
- SMHM 5800
- Leadership in Merchandising & Hospitality Management
*are web-based courses offered simultaneously as resident courses
#required course
