Best Online Associate in Hospitality and Tourism

Badge for BEST ONLINE ASSOCIATE'S IN HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM

By Dr. James Barham
Reviewed By Jenn Finley

Updated: Jan 12, 2024

Do you have a desire to work in event planning, create a comfortable stay, a memorable vacation, or a positive business travel experience for your clients? An online associate degree in hospitality or tourism may be perfect for you.

Key Takeaways

An associate degree can greatly increase your salary over someone who has a high school diploma alone.
Graduates of an online associate in hospitality degree program are qualified for entry-level opportunities in hotel management, travel booking, resort services, event planning, food service, and much more.
The median salary for travel agents was over $43,000 per year

Top 10 Online Associate in Hospitality Degrees

College of Southern Nevada
Casper College
Hillsborough Community College
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Central Texas College
Holyoke Community College
Murray State College
Tidewater Community College

College of Southern Nevada
Central Texas College
Hillsborough Community College
Finger Lakes Community College
Scottsdale Community College
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Tidewater Community College
Murray State College
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Casper College

Hillsborough Community College 23 to 1
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College 23 to 1
Tidewater Community College 20 to 1
Gulf Coast State College 19 to 1
Bluegrass Community and Technical College 18 to 1
College of Southern Nevada 17 to 1
Fayetteville Technical Community College 16 to 1
University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College 15 to 1
Murray State College 15 to 1
Luzerne County Community College 15 to 1

Luzerne County Community College $8,200
NHTI – Concord's Community College $6,450
Holyoke Community College $5,280
Finger Lakes Community College $5,112
Murray State College $4,830
Tidewater Community College $4,680
Bluegrass Community and Technical College $4,368
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College $4,368
University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College $4,140
Central Texas College $3,720

NHTI – Concord's Community College
Scottsdale Community College
University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College
Isothermal Community College
Gulf Coast State College
Finger Lakes Community College
Luzerne County Community College
Tidewater Community College
Murray State College
Holyoke Community College

University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College
NHTI – Concord's Community College
Isothermal Community College
Fayetteville Technical Community College
Luzerne County Community College
Holyoke Community College
Gulf Coast State College
Casper College
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College
Murray State College

NHTI – Concord's Community College 9 to 1
Isothermal Community College 11 to 1
Holyoke Community College 13 to 1
Central Texas College 13 to 1
Finger Lakes Community College 14 to 1
Casper College 14 to 1
Scottsdale Community College 14 to 1
University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College 15 to 1
Murray State College 15 to 1
Luzerne County Community College 15 to 1

Gulf Coast State College $1,750
Isothermal Community College $1,824
Hillsborough Community College $1,931
Scottsdale Community College $2,040
Fayetteville Technical Community College $2,432
Casper College $2,520
College of Southern Nevada $3,383
Central Texas College $3,720
University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College $4,140
Bluegrass Community and Technical College $4,368

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospitality and Tourism Degrees

Why get an online associate degree?

Associate degrees are a great alternative to a bachelor’s degree. An associate degree can not only boost your earnings but also can be earned in half the time.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), earning an associate degree can increase your salary by more than $8000 over someone who has a high school diploma alone.

And, if you have already earned that high school diploma and want to go on to earn a bachelor’s degree, an associate degree can be a great first step towards earning that next degree. In fact, an associate degree in hospitality can be a stepping stone into a bachelor’s program in nutrition. Find out what you can do with a degree in nutrition.

In fact, many community colleges have transfer agreements with nearby public and state colleges that make continuing on towards higher education as painless as possible.

Even better, many regionally accredited colleges now offer degree programs online, which can offer a more flexible schedule over classes taken on-campus.

Why get an online associate degree in hospitality and tourism?

An online associate degree in the hospitality and tourism industry is ideal for students with an interest in:

hospitality management
tourism management
hotel management
food service management
travel agent
event planning
customer service

How long does it take to get an associate degree in hospitality and tourism?

In about two years, students in an online associate degree program in hospitality and tourism can complete the required 60 credits either online or in person.

What kind of courses are required to get online associate degrees in hospitality and tourism?

During their studies, online students in a hospitality or tourism program will study the theoretical and practical aspects of the thriving hospitality, tourism, event planning, and luxury sectors.

In a hospitality associate degree program, typical courses include business law, event planning, financial record keeping, lodging management, and marketing.

Students will also learn effective communication and problem-solving skills as well as customer service management best practices in the context of hospitality.

In a tourism management program, typical courses include marketing and sales, cruise and resort operations, customer service, and event planning, to name a few.

What can I do with an associate degree in hospitality management?

Graduates of an online associate in hospitality degree program will be prepared for entry-level opportunities in hotel management, travel booking, resort services, event planning, food service, and much more.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for travel agents was over $43,000 per year.

How do we determine the best online hospitality and tourism associate'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: Best Online Associate Degrees in Hospitality and Tourism

Career Outlook for Students with Hospitality and Tourism Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Hospitality Administration/Management

Degree Level: Associate's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $4,437
Avg. Expenses*: $15,066
Avg. Starting Salary*: $27,418
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $30,303
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 7 years
Job Growth: 3.33%
Number of Jobs: 510,600
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Managers, All Other	5.75%	$133,560
Facilities Managers	5.27%	$102,340
Business Teachers, Postsecondary	6.67%	$97,130
Gambling Managers	3.77%	$82,380
Business Operations Specialists, All Other	5.40%	$79,590
Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling	10.89%	$73,460
Lodging Managers	9.94%	$65,360
Food Service Managers	1.50%	$63,060
First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers	5.12%	$61,210
Personal Service Managers, All Other	6.81%	$57,570

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Managers, All Other	$133,560
Facilities Managers	$102,340
Business Teachers, Postsecondary	$97,130
Gambling Managers	$82,380
Business Operations Specialists, All Other	$79,590
Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling	$73,460
Lodging Managers	$65,360
Food Service Managers	$63,060
First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers	$61,210
Personal Service Managers, All Other	$57,570

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

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.

Do you have a question about this topic? Ask it here

Best Online Associate in Hospitality and Tourism

Key Takeaways

Top 10 Online Associate in Hospitality Degrees

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospitality and Tourism Degrees

Why get an online associate degree?

Why get an online associate degree in hospitality and tourism?

How long does it take to get an associate degree in hospitality and tourism?

What kind of courses are required to get online associate degrees in hospitality and tourism?

What can I do with an associate degree in hospitality management?

Ranking: Best Online Associate Degrees in Hospitality and Tourism

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at College of Southern Nevada

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Casper College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Hillsborough Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Fayetteville Technical Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Central Texas College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Holyoke Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Murray State College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Tidewater Community College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Luzerne County Community College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Finger Lakes Community College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Gulf Coast State College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Isothermal Community College

Online Degrees

Concentrations

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at University of Arkansas – Pulaski Technical College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at Scottsdale Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Hospitality and Tourism degree at NHTI – Concord's Community College

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Hospitality and Tourism Degree

Hospitality Administration/Management

Degree Level: Associate's

Career Salaries

Top Industries

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