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Degree Programs

Advance your future with Hilton College, where your degree has real and practical value. We are considered one of the BEST hospitality programs in the world. Let us help you find your career path. We offer seven hospitality degrees, a minor in beverage management, and a graduate certificate in Hospitality Decision Making & Analytics. All of our programs offer a curriculum that is comprehensive, current and immediately applicable to the industry. 

BS in Global Hospitality Leadership

This specialized business degree combines traditional business courses in accounting, economics and law with social sciences, hospitality marketing, human resources and communications. Students are also required to complete 1,000 hours of industry-related work experience as part of the degree and choose a career track to create a personalized degree plan that focuses on the sector of hospitality that interests them most. Students pursuing a career in the wine & spirits industry may also choose to earn a minor in beverage management and marketing. Click here to view the undergraduate program brochure.

Online BS in Global Hospitality Leadership 

The Online B.S. degree from the Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership at the University of Houston is a fully online program, serving as a gateway to leadership roles within the fast-paced hospitality industry. This degree provides a flexible and innovative educational experience designed to enhance students' leadership capabilities and elevate their perspectives to a global scale.

MS in Hospitality Management

This program is designed to give graduates a competitive edge and increased earning potential in the global hospitality marketplace. It includes core courses in business, management and research, combined with support courses in hospitality marketing, food & beverage management, revenue management and a variety of electives. To earn this degree, students must complete a minimum of 36 semester credit hours and either a research or professional track. Students with the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree in any discipline are eligible to apply. Click here to view the graduate program brochure. 

Dual MS/MBA

This three-year degree is offered through a partnership between Hilton College and the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer College of Business. Through this program, students earn both an MS and MBA in less time than it would take to earn each degree independently. This degree requires a minimum of 63 semester hours. Students must apply separately to each program and meet admissions requirements for both. Once admitted into one of the programs, students must gain admission to the second within one calendar year. Students receive two diplomas and must file for graduation with both degrees in the same semester. Click here for more information about Bauer's MBA program.

BS/MS Plan

For students who want to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Global Hospitality Leadership and earn a Master of Science in Hospitality Management, the BS/MS plan offers an accelerated track to earn both in just five years. The BS/MS plan provides a clear and concise path toward accelerated academic goals and enables students to begin concentrated work on a professional focus in the hospitality industry during the final year of their BS degree plan. Students who are accepted into this plan can complete 12 hours toward their MS degree as an undergraduate student, and the remaining credits for the MS can be completed in one additional calendar year as a graduate student upon official acceptance into the master’s program.

MS in Global Hospitality Business

This unique, first-of-its-kind degree is offered in partnership with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne and the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. A truly global program, this degree provides select students with an extensive understanding of world markets and firsthand experience of local cultures across three continents. Students spend one semester in Switzerland, one in Hong Kong and one in Houston, participating in a personalized capstone project, business field trips to global tourism hubs. Students also earn three professional certifications during this intense curriculum and may choose the institution from which they receive their MS degree. Admission criteria and tuition for this degree program differ from other degrees offered at the College. For more information, click here. To view the program brochure, click here.

Executive Master of Hospitality Management

This program was created to accommodate the schedules of busy hospitality industry professionals who want to refine their academic and leadership skills to gain a competitive advantage. This one-year degree program requires 30 credit hours—21 hours of required courses and nine hours of prescribed electives. Each course is five weeks long, with a one-week break between courses. Applications open each June for January enrollment. Click here to view the program brochure.

Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration

This program is designed for students seeking to gain a position as a tenure-track professor at a research-oriented university. Specifically, this degree program provides students with the theoretical foundation, practical knowledge, research development, grantsmanship and critical-thinking skills for careers in academia and hospitality administration. 

Minor in Beverage Management and Marketing

This minor degree is designed to give students the expertise needed to pursue careers in the growing beverage management industry. Students must complete 16 credit hours to earn this minor, including courses on wine appreciation, beverage marketing and other alcoholic beverage courses. This minor degree is open to all students at the University of Houston – not just declared HRM majors.

Certificate in Hospitality Decision Making & Analytics

The graduate certificate program in Hospitality Decision Making & Analytics provides a foundation to better prepare hospitality students for the ever-demanding and changing work force in the industry. The curriculum will provide an understanding of the economic, political, and cultural forces that are shaping hospitality organizations. The program is designed to enable graduates to meet the intellectual and practical challenges of managing dynamic careers in the hospitality sector. The courses taken in the certificate program may apply to a future MS degree at Hilton College.