Hospitality
- Department Office: CH 129
- Phone Number: 507-537-6223
- Website: https://www.smsu.edu/academics/programs/hospitality/
The Hospitality Management bachelor’s degree is broad-based in design and includes studies in hotel administration, restaurant management, and culinary management. This four-year program prepares students for positions in hotels, restaurants, convention bureaus, resorts and other hospitality and recreational facilities. Our students select a concentration in hotel & event management or/and culinary management as part of their degree. All two concentrations provide ample opportunity for the hospitality professionals of tomorrow to build upon their leadership and management abilities, critical thinking skills, problem solving techniques, strong financial analysis skills and customer awareness.
The Hotel & Event Management concentration focuses on contemporary issues related to strategic management in the hotel and event industry. Students are prepared for employment in management trainee and supervisory positions at hotels, public institutions and private clubs, entertainment venue manager, wedding sales manager, convention and meeting manager, event manager, etc., with the opportunity for advancement to upper-level management positions.
The Culinary Management concentration prepares graduates for positions as supervising chefs in hotels, restaurants, clubs and resorts, cafes and eateries, hospitals, catering companies, and more. This concentration will allow students with a passion for culinary arts to obtain a baccalaureate degree and advance professionally in the future
Majors in Hospitality Management must have a grade point average of 2.50 in all major course work taken at SMSU and an overall GPA in major course work including courses transferred from other institutions. Any exceptions to this requirement must be approved by the faculty of the Hospitality Management program.
Note: Students must complete a minimum of 120 credits in order to graduate with a Bachelor's degree.
An overview of the hospitality industry with an emphasis on career opportunities, customer service, and personal success strategies. Brief history, description and interrelationships of key industry segments emphasizing customer relations, ethics, leadership, critical thinking, and service standards for the restaurant, hotel, and travel-related businesses.
Students will explore food sanitation and safety procedures affecting the individual, the operation, and the facility.
Students will be introduced to the scope of the hotel industry in addition to introducing them to the organizational structure and operational mechanics of how the departments of an individual hotel and resort operate. It studies both the front-of-house and back-of-house systems, procedures and controls associated with a modern hotel and resort. Students will know how work is performed and how activities are coordinated within and between the departments. Students will have a basic understanding of facilities management, learning how to manage the physical plant of a hotel, resort or restaurant and work effectively with the engineering and maintenance department.
Procurement procedures with emphasis on orientation to the market place, specification writing and evaluation of products.
The primary emphasis of the course is on analytical and decision-making uses of big data - the exponential growth, availability of information, both structured and unstructured to develop a more granular understanding of customers behavior, needs, and expectations. This course teaches students how to use the right data in the right ways, including the use of social media, customer satisfaction surveys, financial information, and market trends to help drive greater customer and market understanding as well as improved pricing, ultimately leading towards higher growth in both revenue and profits
Principles of and procedures used in food production management including quality control, food costing, work methods, menu planning, sanitation, safety, and service.
Application of full service restaurant food production and management techniques in the student operated restaurant.
Introduction to the meeting and convention industry, focusing on research, planning, supervision, and control guidelines used by the Meeting Professionals International. Emphasis is placed on strategies used for planning, developing, and marketing conventions, expositions, and trade shows, as well as the division of administrative responsibility within event planning and management.
The service is a core component of Hospitality Industry and makes managing the industry unique. The course will explore unique characteristics of service product as opposed to manufactured products and its implications in managing Hospitality operations.
Analysis of methods used by sales and service departments in hospitality and tourism. Emphasis on selling, planning for, and servicing all aspects of meeting and convention business.
This course explores the dynamics of on and off- premise catering, from the nuts and bolts of developing the contract to making the sale and appropriately costing the entire banquet menu. Proper purchasing techniques for food and wine as well as non-food items are studied. Students work on projects that engage their critical thinking skills and require application of concepts covered in class.
Planning, organizing and analysis of a beverage facility. Problem solving methods and solution techniques are applied through written projects. Topics include alcoholic beverage control regulations, examination of product, service methods and computerized control systems. Minimum age of student must be 21 years.
Introduction to the basics of revenue management practices in the hospitality industry. Focus areas include forecasting, pricing, market segmentation, cost controls, financial analysis, economic analysis, and applications as it emphasizes practical aspects of decision-making. Both tactical and strategic approaches will be discussed.
This course will review basic service management concepts and apply them in real life scenario using case studies of Hospitality firms and businesses. Students will analyze the nature of the issue, discover the connection of the unique service characteristics to the nature of the issue, and evaluate different strategies to address the issue while learning about a specific hospitality company in the case studies
Analysis and simulation of a hotel/resort operation. Competency-based skills developed by student analysis, written reports, and on-site learning opportunities in major departments of a hotel/resort including: General and Administrative, Rooms Division, Food and Beverage, Sales and Marketing, and Sports and Activities. The focus of this course is on analysis and understanding of the interdependent nature of major departments within a hotel/resort operation.
A capstone course to integrate various disciplines within the hospitality industry and utilize conceptual, analytical, and problem solving skills. Problem identification, data collection, data analysis, and generation of viable solutions are emphasized.
Designed to allow for the teaching of special subjects that are not offered on a regular basis.
Arranged Independent Study in Hospitality
Supervised employment within the students area of study. Minimum 100 hours for 1 credit. Students must submit acceptable report and receive adequate evaluations.
Supervised employment within the students area of study. Minimum 100 hours for 1 credit. Students must submit acceptable report and receive adequate evaluations.
Supervised employment within the students area of study. Minimum 100 hours for 1 credit. Students must submit acceptable report and receive adequate evaluations.