2020 Best Colleges for Hospitality Management
Approximately 20,194 hospitality management degrees were granted to students last year in the United States. With so many options it can be difficult finding the best fit for you. This year's Best Colleges for Hospitality Management ranking analyzed 115 colleges and universities that offer a bachelor's degree in hospitality management. We look at over 20 factors to determine the top 17 colleges for Hospitality Management students.
Choosing a Great Hospitality Management School
Your choice of hospitality management school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The vast majority of the colleges on this list are in at least the top 27% of our overall quality ranking.
Above Average Earnings After Graduation
Hospitality Management graduates from colleges on this list tend to earn more after college than those from other schools. While the average hospitality management bachelors degree from U.S. colleges results in an average starting salary of $34,779, graduates of colleges on this list average $43,118.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on Hospitality Management students vs. other majors.
- Major Popularity - How many other hospitality management students choose this school.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or a recognized hospitality management related accrediting body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for Hospitality Management students.
Best Schools to Study Hospitality Management in United States
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for hospitality management majors. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list. Of the 115 schools analyzed, only 17 earned the distinction of being on this list.
Top 17 Best Hospitality Colleges
Cornell University is among your best bets if you want to study hospitality management. Located in the city Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 12 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Cornell is a great college overall.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, Cornell offers a Master's Degree in hospitality management. Cornell University hospitality management graduates earn $15,526 more than the average hospitality graduate.
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Culinary Institute of America is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a Hospitality Management degree. The Culinary Institute of America is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Hyde Park. This college ranks 552nd out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.
Culinary Institute of America is one of the most popular college to study hospitality in United States with over 273 graduates last year. Students who graduate from the hospitality program make an average of $37,100 for their early career.
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Purdue University - Main Campus is a wonderful choice for individuals pursuing a Hospitality Management degree. Purdue is a very large public school located in the city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of 100 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Purdue is a great college overall.
With 166 undergrads, Purdue University - Main Campus is one of most popular colleges to study hospitality in United States. Grads of the hospitality program state that they receive average early career wages of $43,700.
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Every student who is interested in hospitality management needs to check out New York University. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of 129 out of 1,727 schools nationwide means NYU is a great school overall.
With 106 undergrads, New York University is one of most popular colleges to study hospitality in United States. Hospitality Management majors from New York University receive an earnings boost of around $7,926 above the average earnings of hospitality management graduates.
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Located in the suburb Newark, U of Delaware is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 92 out of 1,727 schools nationwide means U of Delaware is a great school overall.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, U of Delaware also offers a Master's Degree in hospitality management. Graduates from the hospitality management degree program at University of Delaware get $4,726 more than the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
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Iowa State is a very large public school located in the city of Ames. This school ranks 235th out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There are roughly 181 hospitality management undergrads studying this program at Iowa State. Students who graduate from the hospitality program make around $35,200 in their early career salary.
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Located in the city University Park, Penn State University Park is a public college with a very large student population. This college ranks 170th out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, Penn State University Park offers a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship) in hospitality management. Pennsylvania State University - University Park hospitality management students receive $2,226 more than the typical hospitality graduate.
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Located in the city San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population. This school ranks 191st out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
With 24 students enrolled, University of San Francisco is one of most popular schools to study hospitality in United States. Hospitality Management majors from University of San Francisco earn a boost of about $3,926 above the average income of hospitality management majors.
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GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of 105 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means GWU is a great college overall.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, GWU offers a Master's Degree in hospitality management. Hospitality Management students from George Washington University receive an earnings boost of about $6,926 above the typical income of hospitality management graduates.
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Michigan State is a very large public school located in the small city of East Lansing. A Best Colleges rank of 120 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great school overall.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, Michigan State offers a Master's Degree in hospitality management. Graduates of the hospitality program make an average of $40,700 in the first couple years of their career.
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FIU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Miami. This school ranks 497th out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of Florida.
A favorite choice for hospitality management undergrads, there are approximately 747 students studying this degree at FIU. Graduates of the hospitality program report average early career income of $35,000.
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JMU is a very large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg. This college ranks 186th out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.
There are about 155 hospitality management undergraduates studying this degree at JMU. Soon after getting their bachelor's degree, hospitality students typically make around $41,500 at the beginning of their careers.
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Located in the large city Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 56 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means Boston U is a great school overall.
Boston U offers hospitality management degrees as low as a One to Two Year Certificates and all the way up to a Master's. Graduates from the hospitality management major at Boston University make $2,426 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
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Located in the large suburb Orlando, UCF is a public college with a fairly large student population. This school ranks 371st out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There are about 962 hospitality management undergraduates enrolled in this program at UCF. Soon after getting their bachelor's degree, hospitality students typically make about $31,000 at the beginning of their careers.
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UNLV is a very large public school located in the city of Las Vegas. This school ranks 814th out of 1,727 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nevada.
For those interested in something more advanced, UNLV also offers 2 different higher degree levels in hospitality management, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Students who graduate from this program state that they receive average early career wages of $41,200.
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UMass Amherst is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Amherst. A Best Colleges rank of 167 out of 1,727 colleges nationwide means UMass Amherst is a great college overall.
There are approximately 156 hospitality management undergraduates studying this program at UMass Amherst. Students who graduate from this program report average early career earnings of $43,200.
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Texas Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Lubbock. This school ranks 406th out of 1,727 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.
With 93 undergraduates, Texas Tech University is one of most popular colleges to study hospitality in United States. Students who graduate from the hospitality program earn an average of $44,100 for their early career.
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Here are some additional great schools for Hospitality students that almost earned our Best Colleges for Hospitality Management award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | University of Denver | Denver, CO |
| 19 | University of South Carolina - Columbia | Columbia, SC |
| 20 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 21 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 22 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 23 | Drexel University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 24 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 25 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
Hospitality Management by Region
View the Best Colleges for Hospitality Management for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| The Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Hospitality Management Rankings
Hospitality Management Related Rankings by Major
One of 21 majors within the Business, Management & Marketing area of study, Hospitality Management has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Hospitality
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 399,810 |
| Accounting | 107,851 |
| General Business/Commerce | 58,413 |
| Finance & Financial Management | 56,960 |
| Marketing | 49,179 |
View All Hospitality Related Majors >
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Bblackpsu.
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