An Industry-Driven Model of Hospitality Curriculum for Programs Housed in Accredited Colleges of Business

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to measure the perceptions of industry professionals regarding the importance of course subject areas in hospitality management curriculum for a program housed in an accredited college of business and economics, to identify any gaps between the industry needs and the current curriculum of the program, and to propose a model for hospitality curricula. A questionnaire, using a 5-point Likert scale, was sent out to 2339 hospitality industry professionals, with 328 (14.02%) respondents. Of the 40 course subject matter variables measured, ethics was ranked the most important—followed by leadership, preparation for industry employment, internships/industry experience, hospitality management and organization, and operations analysis. A proposed model for curriculum for hospitality programs housed in accredited colleges of business is presented.