Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management

Overview

The BA in Hospitality Management is awarded under the institution’s accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The degree may be taken on an accelerated track, which allows the student to complete the programme in three years by taking the internship components (normally taken in the second and third years) during summer semesters. The blend of theory and the two semester-long internships give students the best of both the practical and academic worlds. The programme provides a firm foundation of business courses in the first year and subsequently offers two hospitality industry internships, a selection of interesting general education classes, and a range of courses examining aspects of hospitality management and its related fields in the international business, event management and tourism disciplines. In the course of the final year, the student also completes a hospitality management research project.

There is a worldwide demand for highly-trained and quality staff in the hospitality industry. Graduates of the BA in Hospitality Management programme can expect to have a range of career opportunities within the management structures in the hospitality sector and the broader services sector. Career paths include management positions in hotels and resorts, travel agencies, tourism providers and suppliers, self-employment, project management, financial institutions and bar, club, and conference management. In addition, graduates of the BA in Hospitality Management may progress to postgraduate studies. Graduates may take bridging modules in order to allow them progress to the MB or MBA in International Business.

Course Schedule

Year 1

• Introduction to management
• Microeconomics
• Accounting 1
• Principles of marketing
• Business computing
• Organizational behaviour
• Macroeconomics
• Accounting 2
• Business law or International law
• Probability and Statistics

Year 2

• Introduction to hospitality today
• Food and beverage cost control and management
• Event studies
• 1 international business 300-level elective
• 1 general education elective
• Hospitality management internship 1 (15 credits)

Year 3

• International hotel management
• Convention management
• Business research methods
• 2 general education electives
• Hospitality management internship 2 (15 credits)

Year 4

• Customer service / total quality management (TQM)
• Research project – event management
• Event design and experience
• 1 general education elective
• 5 upper-division international business electives

Course Requirements

Entry requirements

• American College Dublin has two intakes per year: in September and January.
• Students may apply directly to the Admissions office of American College Dublin
• Applicants whose first language is not English should have an IELTS score of 6.0 (or equivalent).

Further education students

The College accepts students from further education colleges to all of its courses. Students must have gained three distinctions in a cognate area of the degree programme that they wish to study. Students must have a full level 5 or level 6 award and this award may have been taken over a number of years. Students with a FETAC qualification can gain access to both American College Dublin and American College Delaware.

Mature student application

Mature applicants can apply directly to American College Dublin for the September or January intake. Mature applicants must be 23 years of age on 1 January of the year that they wish to begin their course. Mature applicants must be interviewed by one of the admissions team. All applicants must submit a CV and a personal statement to the College.

Other EU applications

Every student who has taken examinations in an EU member state is expected to have completed mathematics and English in his or her final year. The only exception to this is students who have completed the A-Levels. These students must have taken mathematics and English for their O-Levels. Please refer the Admissions section for full listings of entry requirements for non-EU students.

More information is available in the Admissions section or by contacting the Admissions Office.

Career Skills

Along with academic knowledge that students receive throughout the duration of their chosen subject, students will also acquire and develop transferable career skills from their degree discipline. These skills along with potential career paths are provided below to give you a well-rounded view of what the course has to offer.

These skills include:

• Interpersonal skills
• Strong communication skills
• Sales and marketing skills
• Finance and accounting skills
• Management skills
• Leadership skills
• Time management skills

Graduates of BA in Event Management will find employment in a diverse range of careers including the following:

• Travel agencies
• Tourism providers and suppliers
• Entrepreneurship
• Project management
• Bar, club and restaurant management

In addition, graduates of the BA in Hospitality Management may progress towards postgraduate degrees such as Masters of Business in International Business.