2025-2026 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
E-mail: [email protected]
The undergraduate program in hospitality and tourism management prepares students for leadership positions in hospitality and tourism, one of the world's largest industries. The department, which is ranked as one of the best in the world, seeks to provide students with a balance of industry-focused educational opportunities with directed work experiences. All students will take courses in hospitality, finance, food and beverage operations, tourism management, lodging operations, revenue management, and events. Special emphasis is placed on developing analytical, decision-making, leadership and communications skills. The degree requires an industry field study experience. The department offers two majors: Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) and Event and Experience Management (EEMG); four options: HTM Analytics (HTMA), HTM Services Management (HTMS), HTM Entrepreneurship & Innovation (ENIN), and HTM Sustainability, Ethics, & Advocacy (SEA); and one pathways minor: Event and Experience Management (EEMG).
The curriculum is flexible, allowing students to pursue specific areas of emphasis. Recommended areas include hospitality operations, global tourism experiences, restaurant and food management, meetings and events, and club and resort management. We also offer a dual degree program with Real Estate which prepares students for the field of asset management or hotel brokerage.
The department offers a variety of international programs and study abroad experiences to give students an enhanced understanding of cultural diversity, experience in international business methods, and practical understanding of hotel and restaurant management in other countries. Through industry scholarships and internal fundraising activities, students are able to attend state, regional, and national hospitality and tourism meetings.
The department is strongly committed to the placement of it undergraduate and graduate students. Industry partners participate in on-campus interview sessions. Industry representatives visit the department during fall and spring semesters to interview students for both permanent placement and internships. HTM conducts a career fair each spring semester for companies offering both career and internships opportunities. Major employers recruit HTM graduates at Virginia Tech, including Marriott, Hyatt, Walt Disney World, Hilton, Compass, Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, B.F. Saul Hotel Division, Interstate Hotels, Crestline Hotels and Resorts, Cvent, Great American Restaurants, and Panera Bread Company. HTM consistently enjoys one of the top job placement rates on campus for its graduates.
University policy requires that students who are making satisfactory progress toward a degree meet minimum criteria toward the Pathways to General Education (see "Academics") and toward the degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management.
Satisfactory progress requirements toward the B.S. in Business can be found on the major checksheet by visiting the University Registrar website at http://registrar.vt.edu/graduation-multi-brief/index1.html.
Head: Dr. Zheng "Phil" Xiang Assistant Department Head: Tom Duetsch Director, MSBA-HTM Program: Dr. Kristin Lamoureux Undergraduate Program Coordinator: Dr. Nancy McGehee Graduate Program Coordinator: Dr. Eojina Kim Professors: M. A. Khan, N.G. McGehee, J.L. Nicolau-Gonzalbez, M. Singal, and Z. Xiang. Collegiate Associate Professor: K. Lamoureux Associate Professors: E. Kim and F. Zach. Assistant Professors: S. Bernard Simpson Professor of Practice: T. Duetsch, S. Feigenbaum, C. Fitch, T. Warner, and D. Yanisko. Visiting Professor: M. Laughon Adjunct Faculty: E. Allen, S. Foster, P. Henderson, A. Hutchinson, M. Minarch, and L. Zwibak.
Hospitality & Tourism industry segmentation, management structures and practices, the significance of service delivery, economic impact of tourism and career opportunities. Concepts examined through readings, case studies and industry gues speakers.
Provide students with an early start on understanding and identifying the many career options in the field of Hospitality and Tourism Management. In-depth focus on the different skills and training necessary for various career paths, including core hospitality and tourism management, hospitality and tourism business acumen, and hospitality and tourism strategy and innovation. Emphasize the importance of personal job search strategies and provide networking opportunities with leaders in the industry. Students will create professional materials, including resumes and online profiles. Serves as a foundational course in preparing students for career success in the Hospitality and Tourism Management field. Pass/Fail only.
Fundamental concepts of international business. International business environment and how it affects decisions, the creation of competitive advantage in the multinational firm, and complexities of managing it. Why international businesses exist, drivers of international expansion, differences among countries in terms of political, legal, economic, technological and cultural dimensions, and the complexity of international business decisions. Causes and consequences of globalization, international trade, and analyzing the challenges of managing international business, with a focus on a number of industries, including hospitality and tourism. Operational, strategic, and ethical issues which are unique to multinational corporations.
A comprehensive study of the management of the sales function and its role in the overall financial performance of hospitality operations.
Introduction to travel and tourism both domestically and abroad. Includes topics such as the history, sociology and psychology of tourism; the tourism system, including private industry, associations and governing bodies; measuring and predicting travel motivations, behavior, and demand; and management issues in a global context. Course concludes with an international travel research final project.
An overview of the service industry, its historical and economic importance, social, psychological and cultural impacts and future trends. Emphasizes the unique characteristics and management challenges of service organizations.
A study of the meetings and convention industry. Focus on the components and processes involved in developing and conducting meetings and conventions.
Introduces students to various venues in which catering services can be offered, and presents an overview of the functions, processes, and controls found in successful catering management and operations; emphasis is placed on the sales/marketing aspects of the business.
This course provides students with an international hospitality and tourism management business experience. It is only offered as part of a program outside the United States. Students will learn from the structured educational experience developed by the faculty directing the study abroad program. This course can be taken twice for a maximum of six credit hours. Sophomore standing and a minimum GPA of 3.0 required.
Develop an understanding of the private club sector of the hospitality industry. Topic areas are divided into club fundamentals, revenue-generating operations within clubs and support functions/departments of club operations. Junior standing as well as background courses in basic financial management are suggested.
Theory and practice of franchising as a form of business ownership and a vehicle for entrepreneurship. Contemporary issues related to franchising in different segments of the services industries including hospitality and tourism. Legal aspects, financial viability, ethical issues, and agency relationships in franchising. Franchise concept development, franchisor-franchisee relationship, franchise agreements, family business, minority franchising, and international franchising. Pre: Junior standing.
Food and kitchen safety, hazard analysis, purchasing, recipe development, costing, and volume food preparation, in a commercial kitchen lab experience one day per week along with a two hour per week lecture. Design/Lab Studio. Pre: Sophomore standing.
Management of special events in the hospitality and tourism industry. Organizational functions necessary for designing a broad range of special events, using formal elements of design to deliver successful events through use of effectively designed floor plans, event flow and logistics, risk management and contingency planning as well as analyzing the factors that influence an events success. Examine ethical issues at play in the context of modern event planning and implementation. Study review processes, evaluation methods and techniques used in events management. Sophomore standing.
The application of accounting, finance, and cost control principles to hospitality industry organizations. The focus of this course is to provide future food service and lodging organization managers with the ability to handle the unique problems regarding financial analysis and cost control in this industry.
Overview of social life cycle events such as weddings as a niche within the hospitality industry. Examination of historical, religious, and cultural influences on traditions and customs. Analysis of market opportunities and growth potential for life cycle events. Skills taught include arranging successful events, managing event stakeholders and risks.
Overview of sporting and entertainment events and types of facilities. Skills taught include planning successful events including budgets, timelines, human resources, contractors, and marketing. Topics include managing and maintaining assets and venue technology and managing temporary venues. Analysis of risk for stakeholders regarding alcohol and crowd management.
A study of both historic and current impacts of tourism on family, community, culture, government, globalization, and the environment at the domestic and international levels. The course uses a sustainable tourism framework to examine the complex ways in which tourism both affects and is affected by modern society worldwide. Includes topics such as eco-tourism, volunteer tourism and space tourism.
Organization, function, and management of lodging operations. Current issues and management challenges in the lodging industry. Applications of revenue management to lodging systems. Pre: Sophomore standing
Application of academic knowledge and skills to in a work-based experience aligned with post-graduation goals using research-based learning processes. Satisfactory completion of work-based experience often in the form of internship, undergraduate research, co-op, or study abroad; self-evaluation; reflection; and showcase of learning. Pre: Departmental approval of 3900 plan.
This course provides students with an international hospitality and tourism management business experience. Students will be required to apply their knowledge and skills from their Pamplin College of Business core courses within this course. Students will learn from the structured educational experience developed by the faculty directing the study abroad program. Pamplin College of Business majors must have been approved for upper division course- work.
Analysis of hospitality and tourism innovative and entrepreneurial enterprises to pursue sustainable growth. Analyze the sustainability of hospitality & tourism business ideas regarding growth opportunities considering societal, demographic, and environmental changes from a variety of sources. An examination of the key elements of sustainable entrepreneurship for hospitality and tourism enterprises that apply across a range of business models. Includes a field based, experiential learning project where teams collaborate to analyze data from multiple sources to develop and execute business ideas for existing or new enterprises. Pre: Junior standing.
Introduction to the strategic use of information technology (IT) in todays hospitality and tourism organizations. Includes the most current and widely used information systems in operation, management, and e-business in hospitality and tourism as well as identification, discussion and debate of the ethical issues associated with these systems. Study of social media as a marketing tool for hospitality and tourism businesses. Examine impacts of IT on organizations and the industry as a whole. Pre: Sophomore standing.
Reviews organizational structures, terminology, and categories associated with restaurant management. Discusses principles of restaurant management, including concept design development, financial analysis, daily operations, and customer service. Focuses on emerging trends in technology and innovation. Case study discussions of current issues and challenges in the industry, development of comprehensive restaurant business plan, and "Training for Intervention Procedures" (TIPS) certification.
Senior experiential learning workshop to integrate and apply ethics, research, and design concepts from past coursework by engaging in actual professional events and experiences. Explore and understand the complexity of planning, coordination, and evaluation of events and the impact on the human experience. Capstone for Pathways Minor in Event & Experience Management. Pre: Senior Standing; Registered for the Event and Experience Management Pathways Minor.
The course focuses on the role of wine and wineries in tourism, wine marketing and management in the hospitality industry, and examines the components of a winery. Students must be 21 years of age due to the inclusion of wine tasting in the course. COURSE FEE: $18.
Examines lodging and foodservices Revenue Management (RM) issues. Customer-centric approach, explores RM from various traditional academic perspectives, including economics, pricing, forecasting, consumer behavior, accounting, finance, and human resources. Management-oriented, emphasizes practical aspects of decision-making. Applies theoretical concepts through class discussion, group projects and individual assignments.
An overview of the concepts of human resources management as applied to the specific environments within the hospitality industry.
Managerial approach to the law that applies to hotels, food-service establishments, events, and tourism; special focus on manager's duties to guests. Key concepts covered include contract and property law, licensing and permits, labor relations, risk management including food and beverage issues, safety and security, and liability and negligence.
Survey of global travel and tourism issues, including trends and patterns of global tourism, flow models, constraints and obstacles to international travel, demand for travel and tourism, tourism supply distribution, destination competitiveness, tourist safety and security, international travel and tourism organizations, performance measures. Analysis of sustainable indicators in protected areas and world heritage sites, tourism statistics and trends.
Extraction and analysis of industry data on a selected market for development and presentation of the Market Study in a worldwide competition among other universities. In conjunction with a leading hospitality industry data provider, students have an opportunity to extract and analyze current industry data. Expands teamwork and communication skills through written and oral delivery of the study. Impact Analysis study of a recent current event on hotels, related and non-related travel sectors.
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