Hospitality Management

Programs for graduate study and research in hospitality management emphasize:

• Economic development
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• Food safety
• Foodservice management
• Hospitality education
• Human resource management
• Leadership
• Marketing and consumer behavior
• School foodservice

Thesis degree

A minimum of 30 credits is required for the Master of Science (MS) degree.  The distribution of credit hours within the program is:

• 18 to 20 credits in HSPM and AESHM and 10 to12 credits in courses offered by other departments
• A maximum of 9 credit hours may be taken as dual listed (DL) courses or designated courses taken for credit as HSP 590
• As a part of the program, each student completes either thesis research (7 credits, HSPM 699) or a creative component (3 credits, HSPM 599).

Any prerequisite coursework and English courses (for international students) are considered supporting work and they are not included in the 30 credit hours. All graduate students are required to complete:

• HSPM 505 and 506
• STAT 401

In addition, students are required to take one 3-credit HSPM course in 3 of 4 core areas:

• Human resources
• Finance
• Marketing
• Strategic management

Non-thesis degree

A non-thesis Master of Science is available with a specialization in hospitality management. The specialization facilitates professional development of graduate students interested in careers in business and industry.

The Master of Science degree requires 36 credits. A minimum of 15 credits must be taken in hospitality management, including the required courses plus 2 to 4 credits or professional management experience in the hospitality industry. Nine credits are required in selected business courses, plus research methods, statistics, and elective courses to bring the total to 36 credits.

Each student must complete a comprehensive paper and an oral examination.

Any missing prerequisite coursework and English courses (for international students) are considered supporting work and are not included in the 36 credit hours.

• Iowa State requires a degree it considers comparable to a US bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university prior to beginning graduate studies. (For foreign institutions, that would be recognition by the Ministry of Education.) 
• Our graduate application form is only available online. The $100 application fee for international students is nonrefundable. If you prefer not to pay the application fee by credit card, you may complete and print the online application, and attach your personal check. All checks should be in US dollars and made payable to Iowa State University.
• Grade Point Average (GPA)
• Statement of Purpose (500 word limit if not sent electronically with application explain why and what you want to study)
• Online Recommendations
• Internet Based TOEFL (iBT) 79, Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT) 550
• IELTS 6.5
• Graduate Records Examination (GRE)
• Financial Statement
• Resume
• Either GRE or GMAT score (equal preference)

Scholarships

• CHS Graduate Scholarships
• Graduate Assistantships