Hospitality and Tourism Programs

College of Southern Nevada

Hospitality and Tourism Programs

On a global basis the hospitality and tourism industry employs more than 10% of the worldwide workforce. It contributes over $4 trillion in gross global output. This means travel and tourism is the world’s largest industry. It is at the top in terms of size and economic impact.

For you, this translates to a wonderful opportunity for a wide variety of exciting career selections.

If hospitality and tourism is your chosen career, why study in the United States?

Wide choice of programs

In the United States in the past 25 years, the number of post-secondary institutions offering hospitality, travel and tourism programs has more than quadrupled. This has resulted in a wide variety of philosophies and approaches.

Guest service is the common thread woven through all hospitality and travel and tourism programs. While not all programs are available in all schools, generally these are the areas you may want to study: lodging, recreation, travel, tourism, convention, culinary, food and beverage, casino.

International students will find that U.S. programs offer instruction in a broad range of subjects, including the liberal arts, as well as specific skill areas such as "Hotel and Restaurant Accounting", "Resort Management" or "Ecotourism". In this country, hospitality training tends to emphasize creative thinking and leadership, to prepare managers rather than staff employees.

Enhanced English language skills

English is an universal language. Classes are taught in English by native speakers. By actually living in the United States, you will be surrounded by English speakers. Your speaking skills, vocabulary, idiomatic usage, comprehension and listening skills will all be enhanced.

Culture

By studying and living in the USA, you’ll increase your knowledge of not only American culture, but other international cultures as well. The USA is truly a melting pot; we come from many different backgrounds and this is reflected in our everyday living.

Flexibility

It is not unusual for Americans to change their major or pursue more than one program simultaneously. Additionally, students often transfer from one educational institution to another.

The School of Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism and Dietetics Administration at the University of New Haven offers both Bachelor's and an Associate program, with a focus on team building, problem-solving and critical thinking.

International students can also enter this field through community college programs such as the Hotel and Tourism program at Highline Community College in Seattle, which provides an education focused on front office, food and beverage, housekeeping operations and management in a hotel, and also features an in-depth internship.

South Seattle Community College provides a four-year transfer program that combines business and management skills with hospitality management through articulation transfer agreements with bachelor’s programs in the field. In a two-year culinary arts program, students operate several restaurants and a pastry shop.

College of Southern Nevada (CSN) in Las Vegas, Nevada has five programs: Hotel Management, Casino Management, Food and Beverage, Culinary Arts and Travel and Tourism. Each program offers both a Certificate and an AAS Degree, and courses are transferable to four-year universities.

One of the unique features of studying here is the backdrop of Las Vegas as a living laboratory. Students network with industry executives, participate in trade shows or expositions, visit leading hotels and tourist destinations, and have guest speakers from local industries.

Johnson & Wales University, with campuses in Denver, Miami, Providence and Charlotte, is the world's largest Hospitality and Culinary Arts educator, with hands-on training facilities which include several hotels, restaurants, bakeries, a travel agency, horse-riding stables, and one of America’s oldest indoor malls, built in 1828. Popular programs of study are Travel-Tourism, International Hotel & Tourism Management, Sports/Entertainment/Event Management, Food Service Management and Food & Beverage Management.

Professors

Come from a wide variety of 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.

Employment experience

Many hospitality programs offer intensive training, cover a variety of subjects and provide a special emphasis on customer service - something that many students find to be an invaluable part of their training. Credentials or a degree from an American program are respected all over the world and most important, many graduates experience great success and mobility in job placements.

Through internships/ work experience programs, you have the opportunity to learn while working in your chosen field. Hawai’i Pacific University is located in a state where tourism is the leading industry. Its Travel Industry Management (TIM) program, at both undergraduate and MBA levels, offers work experience in organizations such as Outrigger, Sheraton, Hyatt International, Hilton hotels, and Disneyland.

TIM professors combine theory with practice in the classroom. For example, one of the requirements of the Passenger Transportation class is a comprehensive project. Based on what they’ve learned in class, students analyze a startup airline company. Then they assign and schedule the jets and explain the rationale of their recommended strategy.

Partnering companies offering on-the-job-training for Johnson & Wales students include Marriott International, Radisson Hotels, Walt Disney World, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Carlson Worldwide.

After nine months of study, students in my program at CSN can work in a variety of positions such as travel agents, retail consultants and airport staff, as part of an internship course.

Lasting friendships

Last, but certainly not least, is the opportunity you will have to make lifelong friendships. The other students you will meet, and friends you will make, will in many cases, be with you for life.

Thanks to the wide variety of excellent programs like these, hospitality graduates of U.S. schools are working in the hotel and restaurant industry in nearly every country of the world.

We are confident this will be the experience of a lifetime!

by Professor Vivienne Sario, Director of Travel and Tourism at College of Southern Nevada.

Featured Programs | Find a Program | Resource Guide | Home