Since the hospitality industry is so expansive, it is only natural to wonder how to specialize a hospitality degree so that you are an expert in a specific area of the industry. With so many different positions in restaurants, lodging, management, tourism, event planning, theme parks, resorts, and cruises, choosing a degree that gives you the knowledge that you need to compete for openings is virtually a requirement. Generic degrees in business may prepare you for entry-level roles, but with the right advanced degree and specialization, you can land a mid or upper-level position as soon as you are hired on. Read on, and learn about the types of specializations that you can choose from and how to select the right one.
What Types of Specializations Exist in Hospitality?
When you are pursuing hospitality jobs, you will find listings for everything from a hotel management to a travel agent. When you are earning a degree, you want the program that you are taking to help you develop the skills and attain the knowledge that you need that is specific to the field you want to work in. This is why specializations are so important in the industry.
There is a long list of different specializations that you can choose from and the options available to you depend entirely on the school that you apply to. If you would like to work in lodging, a specialization in hotel administration or hospitality management as a whole may be ideal. If you want to develop resorts real estate, specializations in real estate and development is a great option. Some of the other specializations that you can select from include:
- Gaming Management
- Professional Gold Management
- Restaurant Management
- Tourism Management
- Food-and-Beverage Management
- Event Management
- Dietetics Management
- Sports Management
- Theme Park Management
How to Select a Specialization?
Now that you can see how many specializations there are to choose from, the idea of committing to just one can become more difficult than you first imagined. What you might think is that you should earn your bachelor’s in a general area of study first, but in reality you can specialize your degree even as an undergraduate student. This is why you need to do your research before you even get into school to see which universities have the best colleges of human ecology, business, hotel management, or human sciences. You should focus on finding schools that focus on teaching theory and also have a real-world experience requirement.
Sit down and think about the setting that you want to work in and then you can proceed to find the schools with programs in this area that are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration. By focusing on only these programs, you will be assured that your degree will be recognized after all of the hard work you have put in to earn it.
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Some are just naturally programmed to work in hospitality, but even with the inherent skills you will need knowledge and credentials. Earning your degree that is specialized in a specific area of hospitality will get you the attention that you need when you submit your resume along with the knowledge that you need to perform. The attention is important, because demand in management is so high, according to CNN. Now that you know how to specialize a hospitality degree, it is time to start sifting through the exciting options.
