Best Online Bachelor’s in Hospitality and Tourism Degree Programs for 2023

Published: Sep 17, 2021
Updated: Sep 9, 2023

Find top-ranked online bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism degree programs for students who want to explore the unique components that create a comfortable stay, a memorable vacation, or a positive business travel experience.

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Hospitality Degrees

University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Alabama
University of South Carolina
Florida International University
University of Central Florida
University of Memphis
Thomas Jefferson University
Florida Atlantic University
East Carolina University
Wichita State University

Eastern Kentucky University 98%
University of Memphis 95%
Troy University 95%
University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu 95%
East Carolina University 94%
Missouri State University 94%
Austin Peay State University 93%
University of North Carolina at Pembroke 92%
Wichita State University 91%
University of North Alabama 90%

University of Central Florida 31 to 1
California State University, East Bay 26 to 1
Florida International University 25 to 1
Southeastern Oklahoma State University 24 to 1
Florida Atlantic University 22 to 1
Missouri State University 20 to 1
University of Alabama 20 to 1
University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu 19 to 1
East Carolina University 19 to 1
Daytona State College 19 to 1

Thomas Jefferson University $43,116
Bay Path University $35,781
Charleston Southern University $28,930
Belhaven University $27,825
Madonna University $24,900
Everglades University $18,920
University of Massachusetts Amherst $15,791
University of South Carolina $12,288
Coastal Carolina University $11,460
University of Alabama $10,780

Thomas Jefferson University $22,068
Everglades University $21,600
Bay Path University $19,235
Madonna University $16,380
University of Massachusetts Amherst $14,014
University of South Carolina $13,734
University of South Carolina Beaufort $13,734
Bellevue University $10,980
University of Alabama $10,780
Coastal Carolina University $10,674

Everglades University
University of South Carolina Beaufort
University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu
Bay Path University
Potomac State College of West Virginia University
Daytona State College
Bellevue University
Madonna University
Belhaven University
Charleston Southern University

University of Central Florida 36%
Madonna University 52%
Charleston Southern University 57%
Everglades University 60%
University of South Carolina 62%
Belhaven University 64%
Florida International University 64%
University of Massachusetts Amherst 66%
Southeastern Oklahoma State University 74%
Bay Path University 75%

Belhaven University 8 to 1
Bay Path University 12 to 1
Charleston Southern University 13 to 1
Madonna University 13 to 1
Thomas Jefferson University 13 to 1
Eastern Kentucky University 15 to 1
University of North Alabama 15 to 1
University of South Carolina Beaufort 15 to 1
University of North Carolina at Pembroke 15 to 1
University of Memphis 16 to 1

University of North Carolina at Pembroke $1,000
Florida Atlantic University $2,522
Daytona State College $3,072
East Carolina University $4,452
University of Central Florida $4,478
Potomac State College of West Virginia University $4,632
Florida International University $4,721
California State University, East Bay $5,742
Norfolk State University $5,752
Southeastern Oklahoma State University $6,420

University of North Carolina at Pembroke $4,280
Southeastern Oklahoma State University $4,734
East Carolina University $4,749
Charleston Southern University $5,085
Florida Atlantic University $5,467
Wichita State University $5,544
Missouri State University $5,760
University of North Alabama $6,600
University of Central Florida $6,916
California State University, East Bay $7,176

Key Takeaways

Professionals with hospitality and tourism management degrees have abundant career opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industry. Even with the slowdown brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth in employment opportunities in the current environment means better things are coming.
Individuals interested in hospitality and tourism management careers should look into online bachelor’s degree programs from the best hospitality management schools. Accreditation is key, as are academic excellence, student support services, and the reasonable cost of online education.
Collegiate business schools offer concentrations that enable students to develop specialized skills in specific areas within the hospitality and tourism industry. Examples include event management and revenue management.

Table of Contents

The bachelor’s degree in hospitality is designed for students who intend to serve in managerial roles within the hospitality, tourism, and luxuries industries. As a bachelor in hospitality, you will study subjects such as hospitality and tourism law, travel marketing, events management, and financial analysis. The bachelor’s degree in hospitality can typically be completed either online or in-person, though most accredited undergraduate hospitality degree programs will include a practical component where you will be required to practice your skills in a real-world setting such as a hotel, resort, or event space. Most students will complete this 120-credit program in roughly four years and will qualify to work as event managers, hotel managers, cruise directors, and much more.

Featured Programs

About the Hospitality and Tourism Online Undergraduate Program

The best online bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism degree programs are excellent training grounds for aspiring hospitality managers and professionals. The US hospitality and tourism industry is the largest contributor to the global industry in terms of direct and indirect revenue contributions.

Training in Hospitality and Tourism Management Programs

Professionals with bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism management degrees qualify for entry-level positions in diverse areas. Food and drink, lodging, and event management are just a few possibilities. Many new graduates can also become overwhelmed by the number of choices, which makes career services crucial to professional success.

Students in hospitality management degree programs train for the broad roles and responsibilities that come with entry-level positions. Human resource management, budgeting and accounting, and customer relations, among other aspects of business administration, must be learned. Knowledge about hospitality law and ethics is also crucial to the success of aspiring hospitality and tourism managers.

The best online bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism degree programs combine didactic instruction with internship experiences for hands-on learning.

Internships and externships are conducted in partnership with hospitality and tourism establishments where interns are tasked with entry-level duties. Interns may or may not obtain minimum wage, but the internship experience counts as college credit and can be reflected on their resumes.

Many programs also have capstone project requirements. Students identify a real-world issue and recommend viable solutions to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

Generalists and Specialists in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Many hospitality management programs don’t offer concentrations; thus, their graduates become generalists. However, there are hospitality management programs that do offer concentrations, enabling students to develop specialized skills. Whatever your choice, you will find that continuous professional development is key to being a successful professional in a competitive industry.

Some typical roles with the hospitality and tourism industry include:

General management professionals are usually employed in small to mid-sized hospitality and tourism establishments. Their roles and responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day operations and strategic planning.
Tourism management professionals focus more on short-term traveling opportunities for recreation and leisure purposes, perhaps with a dose of business thrown in.
Hotel management professionals, also known as lodging management professionals, have a wider focus that includes accommodations, food and beverage management, and housekeeping.

Other specialist occupations in the hospitality and tourism management industry are event management, resort management, and revenue management.

Development of Professional Skills and Traits

Regardless of whether you become a generalist or a specialist in the hospitality and tourism management industry, these are the essential career-specific skills and traits, including:

Business administration skills like accounting, budgeting, and human resource management
Customer service skills
Interpersonal skills like communication and collaboration skills
Problem-solving skills coupled with resourcefulness and quick thinking
Active listening skills
Leadership and organizational skills
Creativity and innovation

These skills and traits should be developed during your studies in an online hospitality and tourism degree program. But remember that the learning doesn’t stop even when you’re already in a management position.

Acceptance into the best online bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism degree programs requires a high school diploma, at least. Check the tuition, other fees, and financial aid options.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospitality and Tourism Degrees

Students who pursue a bachelor’s degree in hospitality and tourism will explore the unique components that create a comfortable stay, a memorable vacation, or a positive business travel experience.

This degree typically consists of 120 credits, which can be completed either online or on campus, over a minimum of four years.

Students will dive into coursework covering topics like revenue and tourism management, leadership practices, sustainable tourism, and hospitality ethics. Additionally, students can choose from specializations such as restaurant and food service management, marketing, and international business, among others. Many programs also require a fieldwork component.

Graduates can qualify to work as travel agents, event planners, and hospitality brand ambassadors.

How do we determine the best online hospitality and tourism bachelor's degree programs?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Ranking the Outstanding Online Bachelor’s in Hospitality and Tourism

The online bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism degree programs featured here have regional accreditation for the colleges and universities that offer them. Many, if not most, of these online programs also have programmatic accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA), the prominent accreditation institution for the tourism and hospitality industry.

Both types of accreditation are a solid guarantee that the bachelor’s degree programs meet stringent standards for academic excellence, among other criteria.

These bachelor’s degrees in hospitality and tourism programs are also widely recognized for their world-class quality of instruction. Academic excellence isn’t just a buzzword but an overarching philosophy adopted into every aspect of these programs, from curricula to student support services.

Their respective curriculum provides online students with comprehensive coverage of hospitality and tourism management topics. But there’s also an emphasis on a strong liberal arts foundation via general education and expanding knowledge through electives. The result is a well-rounded education with room for professional development.

Excellent student support services are also part of the high graduate outcomes of these online programs. Online students access these support services to increase their learning opportunities and, thus, boost their academic success.

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Salaries by Percentile in the U.S.

The following graph depicts the average salaries of Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners for each percentile in the U.S.

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

SVG Attribution: Wikipedia

Total Employed: 98150

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10th Percentile25th Percentile75th Percentile90th Percentile

Ranking: Best Online Bachelor’s in Hospitality and Tourism Degree Programs

Online Hospitality Management Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

Best Online Bachelor’s in Hospitality and Tourism Degree Programs for 2023

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Hospitality Degrees

Key Takeaways

Featured Programs

About the Hospitality and Tourism Online Undergraduate Program

Training in Hospitality and Tourism Management Programs

Generalists and Specialists in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry

Development of Professional Skills and Traits

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospitality and Tourism Degrees

Why get a bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism?

How long does it take to get a bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism?

What does the coursework cover when getting a bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism?

What can you do with a bachelor’s in hospitality and tourism?

Ranking the Outstanding Online Bachelor’s in Hospitality and Tourism

Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners Salaries by Percentile in the U.S.

Ranking: Best Online Bachelor’s in Hospitality and Tourism Degree Programs

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Online Hospitality Management Programs Looking for You

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from an online college course?+

Is online college easier than campus-based college?+

Why does accreditation matter in online college?+

Will I be able to transfer my online college degree?+

Will employers respect my online degree?+

What are the disadvantages of online classes?+

What are the advantages of online classes?+

Resources for Online College-Bound Students