Friday, 18 May 2012

Online Certificates and Degrees in Hotel and Restaurant Management: Program Options

Multiple hotel and restaurant management programs are available completely online, including some that result in a certificate, Associate of Applied Science or Bachelor of Science degree. Students learn everything from the basics of sales and marketing, customer service and leadership to more specialized skills in food preparation, accounting and business practices for the hotel and restaurant industries.

Online Hospitality Management Certificate Program Overview

Online hotel and restaurant management training is more commonly found within hospitality management or hospitality administration programs at the certificate level. This broad area of study prepares students for entry-level management positions or to advance their current career in the hospitality industry. This program can also act as a stepping stone to higher-level degrees in specialized areas in the hotel and restaurant industry.

Online Program Information and Requirements

It usually takes two semesters to complete an online hospitality management certificate program. Depending on the specific school, the number of semester hours can range anywhere from 12-24. Many schools offer an online orientation non-credit class; some schools even require it to be taken. Some programs also require a short internship that must be done in-person. Certain schools allow a student's current hospitality-related job to count as internship credit. Coursework for a hospitality management certificate program can be completed entirely online by using the school's online system, such as Blackboard, and students communicate with their professor and classmates via e-mail, online chat rooms or a class website.

List of Common Certificate-Level Online Hospitality Courses

Students enrolled in this online certificate program take courses to develop skills in sales and marketing, customer service and leadership. Certain schools may require some English classes as a prerequisite to necessary hospitality courses.

Intro to Hospitality Course

This distance learning class serves to present and acclimate students to the basics of the hospitality industry. Areas studied include advancement, regulation and administration of the hotel and restaurant industries. Some skills in customer service, leadership and communications are also introduced.

Hospitality Law Course

Students learn about the fundamental laws involving taxes, public liability, selling of alcohol and other hospitality-related legal issues. Also covered are the laws involving the safety, security and right to privacy of the guests of a hospitality establishment.

Customer Service Course

This online course emphasizes the importance of customers to the selling cycle. Students learn methods for obtaining customers and cultivating a client base, as well as ways of calculating and determining customer contentment and satisfaction.

Career Information

A certificate program in hospitality management can help the recipient become a lodging or food service manager. A larger full-service hotel or restaurant may require a more extensive program such as a bachelor's degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated a five percent employment growth in the field of lodging and food service management between the years 2008 and 2018, which is less-than-average when compared to other fields of employment (www.bls.gov).

Online Associate of Applied Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management Program Overview

An Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Hotel and Restaurant Management program provides students with a hospitality management education that focuses on hotels and restaurants specifically. The AAS program is more extensive than the hospitality management certificate program and can lead to supervisory or mid-management level employment opportunities. Students that choose to pursue the associate's degree learn specialized skills involving business, accounting, food preparation and front office operations.

Online Program Information and Requirements

The Associate of Applied Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management distance learning program can usually be completed in four or five semesters. The number of semester hours needed for completion can range anywhere from 60-75, depending on the school. As with the certificate program, some schools require an online orientation.
All courses can be done online in their entirety, with the option to take on-campus classes if the student chooses to. Many schools offer completely asynchronous courses, which means that the student can work on course materials and homework at any time as long as certain deadlines are met. Some schools, however, might require some lectures, group work or tests to be done at an exact time. In-person internships are required and are usually more thorough and last longer than the certificate program.

List of Common Associate-Level Online Hotel and Restaurant Management Courses

The associate's degree program has general education requirements, such as foreign language and math, which help students comprehend the more advanced business and accounting classes provided by the AAS program. Program specific courses cover accounting, marketing and management for restaurants and hotels.

Hospitality Accounting Course

Hospitality accounting classes serve to familiarize students with accounting techniques necessary for working in the hospitality industry. Online students learn about the accounting cycle and to prepare balance sheets and financial statements. Students also start to comprehend how to balance financial and moral aspects in the decision-making process.

Food and Beverage Course

An online food and beverage course covers the purchasing, handling, preparing and serving of food and drinks. Students also learn the basics of restaurant management, as well as skills involving sales and merchandising, taking and holding of reservations, dealing with customer complaints and achieving customer satisfaction.

Hospitality Supervision Course

This class teaches students how to thrive in the mid-management level of the hospitality industry. They learn to translate orders from higher authorities to the employees at a lower level. Students also learn effective methods of hiring and coaching new employees and various leadership skills.

Career Information

Receiving an Associate of Applied Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management degree, as opposed to a certificate, can result in a greater chance of being hired by a hotel or restaurant for a mid-management position such as a supervisor or assistant manager, according to the BLS. A bachelor's degree is still preferred by many larger full-service chains, but smaller establishments find the associate's degree to be sufficient. The BLS also reported approximately 400,000 jobs in the field of hotel and restaurant management in 2008, with almost half being self-employed as owners of their own establishments. The AAS program provides ample experience for one to open their own hotel or restaurant.

Online Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management Program Overview

A Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Hotel and Restaurant Management program provides students with extensive instruction in the field of hospitality management, especially in foodservice and lodging establishments. Graduates of the B.S. program possess enough knowledge to become certified by organizations such as the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AH&LA), the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA). The B.S. program teaches students a wide-reaching set of skills involving decision making, problem solving and human relations.

Online Program Information and Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management distance learning programs often require 120-180semester hours for graduation which can usually be completed in eight semesters. Many schools require about 30 hours to be upper-division classes.
All classes in this bachelor's degree program may be completed online; however, a B.S. program in hotel and restaurant management often requires hands-on experience. Some schools require as many as 800 hours of employment at an establishment related to the hospitality industry.

List of Common Bachelor-Level Online Hotel and Restaurant Management Courses

The bachelor's degree program also requires general education and elective courses. Some hospitality courses act as prerequisites for other hospitality courses which require that they be taken in a certain order.

Hospitality Marketing Course

Students learn the skills necessary for marketing within the hospitality industry as it relates supply and demand, selling strategies and advertising. Emphasis is placed on establishing marketing goals and planning to achieve them.

Advanced Restaurant Management Course

This online course covers the finer points of managing a restaurant. Topics studied include comparing and contrasting the different types of restaurant ownership (including franchising), formulating a restaurant concept and developing a formal restaurant business plan. Students also learn to plan a menu and the steps needed to get that menu to the guest's table.

Oenology and Viticulture Course

Students in this online course study the science of making wine. The farming process related to the growing of grapevines and the collection of the grapes themselves is examined. Students also learn about the different types of wine and how the production of each type affects the surrounding areas.

Career Information

The online bachelor's degree program in hotel and restaurant management gives the recipient a greater chance of being hired by an upscale full-service hotel or restaurant chain (BLS). It may also provide more opportunities for immediate hiring, or at least a quicker ascent, into upper-management level careers such as general manager of a hotel or restaurant. The BLS reported a broad yearly income range ranging from $28,000 to about $85,000 for hospitality managers in May 2009 (www.bls.gov), with a median salary of $46,300. Earning the B.S. is the first step towards the upper reaches of this income range.

Continuing Education Information

Higher-level degrees such as a master's degree or a doctorate in hotel and restaurant management are also available and are even offered online by certain schools. Students have the option to further their education for the reasons of a more specialized area of expertise, increase employment and promotion options or the possibility of teaching at the university level.

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