MSc in Hospitality Business Management University of Delaware, Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics

Become a bold leader in the hospitality industry.

As a working professional in the hospitality industry, you recognize the need to sharpen your analytical skills and gain a wider strategic view so that you’re ready for a larger managerial role.

Established brands in the hospitality industry are seeking more market share while emerging brands are trying to identify and claim niche markets. Our intensive program will help you predict future change and lead with confidence.

The M.S. in hospitality business management is available as a thesis or non-thesis program. The 1-year non-thesis option is ideal for you if you’re already working in hospitality – the operational management skills you’ll gain are immediately applicable to your career. The 2-year thesis option prepares you for an academic career – its focus on research makes it the perfect step into a Ph.D. program.

Hospitality Facilities

Apply the skills you’re gaining in our two learning labs: the Marriott Center for Tourism and Hospitality, in which you’ll learn and work in a Marriott hotel, and the student-operated gourmet restaurant Vita Nova.

Among the Nation’s Best

The Lerner master’s degree in hospitality business management is ranked fourth out of 117 schools by collegefactual.com.

Program Options

• Non-thesis: 1 year, 30 credits. Immediately applicable practical, analytical and operational skills.
• Thesis: 2 years, 39 credits. Focus on research skills for those who wish to pursue an academic career and enter a Ph.D. program.

Program Requirements

All students are expected to have at least two years of work experience, including internships.

Non-thesis option - suggested course sequence

• HOSP 801 – Hospitality Industry Foundations
• HOSP 887 – Revenue Management in Hospitality
• HOSP 802 – Customer Experience Management
• STAT 608 – Statistical Research Methods
• HOSP 842 – Projects and Valuations in Hospitality
• HOSP 804 – Hospitality Financial Management
• HOSP 845 – Advanced Restaurant Management
• BUAD 870 – Managing People, Teams and Organizations
• HOSP 803 – Strategic Hospitality Management
• HOSP 864 – Advanced Lodging Practicum

The Advanced Lodging Practicum is a 6-week rotation of duties at the Courtyard by Marriott–Newark at the University of Delaware wherein you engage in operational observations and analytical assignments aimed at improving the strategic position of the hotel.

Thesis option - suggested course sequence

• HOSP 801 – Hospitality Industry Foundations
• HOSP 802 – Customer Experience Management
• STAT 608 – Statistical Research Methods
• HOSP 842 – Projects and Valuations in Hospitality
• HOSP 804 – Hospitality Financial Management
• HOSP 845 – Advanced Restaurant Management
• HOSP 803 – Strategic Hospitality Management
• BUAD 870 – Managing People, Teams and Organizations
• HOSP 887 – Revenue Management in Hospitality
• Research Methods Elective (3 credits)
• HOSP 848 – Research Methods in Hospitality
• HOSP 869 – Thesis (6 credits)

Career Opportunities

Career opportunities are everywhere in the hospitality industry. By 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that wage and salary jobs in the hospitality industry will grow by 8 percent.

In the United States, travel and tourism are among the nation’s largest services export industries, and one of America’s largest employers. In fact, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association, hospitality ranks among the top-10 largest industries in 48 states.