Online Certificate Programs in Hospitality Management

A hospitality management certificate is designed to teach students about the inner workings of the dynamic hospitality industry. Students will train to become general managers, tourist guides, restaurateurs, culinary directors, and more. A certificate in hospitality management is designed to help students understand the essential interpersonal and managerial skills needed to motivate teams of employees in hotels, restaurants, tourism offices, and other service entities.

Those who have an interest in working in foreign countries, travel offices, and up-and-coming restaurants commonly look into this type of certificate. In such a program, students can expect to enroll in courses that discuss integral parts of the hospitality industry, such as sales, marketing, catering, conflict resolution, and more.

Vocational Certificate

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, (BLS), short-term educational programs, such as a certificate or associate degree, are the most common educational methods for careers in hospitality management. Those who want to enter into vocational certificate programs are usually required to have the following:

  • A high school diploma or its equivalent
  • Desired ACT or SAT scores

A restaurant management certification usually takes less than a year to complete. Though many schools offer on-campus programs in hospitality management, a sizable chunk of students will choose to complete their courses online. Similar to most online degrees, the materials for hospitality management courses are presented through a combination of lectures, outlines, and class notes.

What’s Next for Hospitality Management Certificate Holders?

Careers in food service management are some of the most common jobs students accept after completing a certificate program. A food service manager’s actual annual salary is determined by a number of important criteria, however, the BLS cites the annual average salary of food service managers comes in at $55,500. However, total employment for food service managers is only expected to grow by 5% from 2014 to 2024.

While it is certainly not required of students to obtain additional certifications or degrees after graduation, a percentage of students like to continue their professional and academic training. A few of the additional degrees open to hospitality management students include an associate degree in hospitality management, a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, and/or a master’s degree in hospitality management. Keep in mind, however, that most hospitality management careers don’t require anything more than a bachelor’s. Understandably so, many students still prefer to keep their options open.