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Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management doctoral program

Undergraduate Programs Overview


Degree Options

The department offers degree options in two fields of study. You may choose your specific field of study with many options for majors and minors that can be tailored to your chosen expertise.

Hospitality and Tourism Management

Retail and Merchandising Management

Both of these fields provide industry-related experiences and a variety of internships.

Career Outlook

The career outlook for managerial personnel in the retail and hospitality fields is very bright. Salaries are highly competitive and executive positions in the hospitality and retail industries are forecast to increase twice as fast as in the overall economy. Current starting salaries for students entering management training programs are in the range of $35,000 to $40,000. With hard work, graduates can reach high levels of responsibility in just a few years and be paid accordingly. Recent graduates have entered management training programs with a wide range of companies that include: Target, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom’s, The Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, TGI Friday’s, Houstons, Hyatt, Hilton, Harrah’s, Marriott, and Opryland.

Experiential Learning

Consumer service management degree programs promote experiential learning through industry-related work experience and internships, study tours, and exchange programs. Students are required to complete 300 hours of postsecondary work experience in their chosen fields before requesting progression into the program during the junior year. A professional experience is required for all majors. Typically undertaken during the summer after the junior year, this rotational internship should give students an overview of an organization’s approach to operations management.

The second professional or managerial experience, ideally taken during a student’s final semester, is required for hotel, restaurant, and tourism majors and is optional for retail majors. This internship should build upon the professional experience and can be fulfilled through a company’s management training program.

The department regularly schedules international and domestic study tours that combine professional appointments and cultural visits. Recent trips have been taken to Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia.

The department has a student exchange program with Christelijke Hogeschool Noord, located in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. This is one of the foremost schools in Europe focusing on hotel, retail, and leisure management. Students can fulfill degree requirements during a semester study program for a cost equivalent to attending UT.

Undergraduate Contacts