COURSE CURRICULUM

The Hospitality Management program is a professionally focused degree designed to prepare students for leadership roles across the hospitality, tourism, event, and service industries, combining business fundamentals with practical training in operations, customer service, and organizational management. The core curriculum includes required courses such as Introduction to Hospitality Management (HSM 175), Management of Food and Beverage Operations (HSM 241), Principles of Food Preparation (NHM 250), Hospitality Employee Supervision and Management (HSM 251), Managing Quality in the Hospitality Industry (HSM 303), Tourism and Hospitality Industry (HSM 321), Hospitality Marketing (HSM 420 or Event Marketing HSM 370), Hospitality Law (HSM 421), Hospitality Industry Computer Systems (HSM 470), Managerial Accounting in Hospitality (HSM 474), an internship experience (HSM 469), and a senior capstone seminar (HSM 496), ensuring that students gain both theoretical understanding and real-world professional experience. In addition to the core requirements, students complete 15 credit hours in a chosen concentration, allowing specialization in areas aligned with career goals. The Hotel, Food and Beverage concentration focuses on lodging operations, bar and beverage management, and food service control systems, preparing students for careers in hotels and restaurant enterprises. The Event and Entertainment concentration emphasizes corporate events, risk management, and convention planning, equipping students for roles in meetings, conferences, and large-scale event coordination. The Sport and Entertainment Event Management concentration develops expertise in sport marketing, facility management, and contemporary issues in sports industries, preparing graduates for careers in athletic organizations and entertainment venues. The program also includes a Distance Hospitality Management track with expanded coursework in lodging, sustainable tourism, catering, and sales and event services for flexible learners. Across all pathways, the curriculum emphasizes leadership, problem-solving, communication, and industry readiness, ensuring graduates are well-prepared for fast-paced careers in global hospitality sectors that value customer experience, operational efficiency, and innovative management.The Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) major is designed to build a strong foundation in human growth, relationships, and family systems by combining scientific understanding of development with applied knowledge for helping individuals and families thrive across the lifespan. All students complete core university requirements in biology and psychology, including Human Development Across the Lifespan (HD 101), Intro to Psychology (PY 101), and introductory biology, which provide a scientific base for understanding human behavior and development. The major requirements focus on key developmental stages through courses such as Child Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood (HD 202), Early and Middle Childhood Development (HD 205), Adolescence Development (HD 302), and Parent and Family Development (HD 382), along with coursework in research methods or statistics to build analytical skills. Students then complete additional upper-level HDFS courses and electives to deepen their understanding of family systems, communication, and applied developmental science, totaling 42 credit hours in the major. A required ancillary course, HES 310, emphasizes professional and multidisciplinary collaboration. The program offers flexibility through a general track, which is ideal for students preparing for professional schools such as medicine, and specialized concentrations that provide focused career preparation. The Adolescence and Youth Development concentration prepares students for work with teens in schools, youth programs, and mental health settings and includes a required internship along with courses in trauma, interpersonal relationships, and program evaluation. The Family Life Education and Advocacy concentration focuses on strengthening family systems through education and community programs, also requiring an internship and training in family law, sexuality education, and resource management. The Child Life concentration is highly specialized for healthcare careers supporting children in medical settings and requires extensive coursework in medical terminology, play therapy, ethics, bereavement, and human anatomy, along with a 12-credit clinical internship. Across all pathways, the HDFS program emphasizes practical experience, professional preparation, and strong academic grounding in human development and family science.