Even though many hotels, food service companies and other businesses in the hospitality and tourism industry do not require all employees to have higher level degrees, an MBA in this field can afford professionals the opportunity to manage quality companies, earn competitive salaries and become a respected leader in the industry. These types of professionals need to be able to work with a diverse range of people and manage both customers and employees. An understanding of and sensitivity to other cultures is a must, and foreign language experience is also beneficial. Managers of tourism companies and businesses manage operations of the company, oversee customer satisfaction, design business plans in order to promote growth and success, and manage employees. These busy professionals may have a hard time finding a traditional MBA program that responds to their tough schedules, but an online program can offer flexibility and an accelerated path to graduation.

Accelerated MBA programs that focus on hospitality, food service and tourism are usually completed in 18 months, but those on an accelerated track can earn their degrees in one year. This may mean a continuous, full-time academic schedule, but it makes students eligible for promotion and management experience much more quickly. Students can expect to take classes in management, food and beverage accounting and economics, supply and demand, operations management, housekeeping management, marketing and consumer behavior, consumer safety, sanitation and food safety, front office operations, resort and convention management, international business, organizational leadership, human resources, and others. This combination of MBA core courses and hospitality electives help students apply traditional business principles and theories to practical issues that they’ll come across in their work as hospitality, tourism and food service managers,

The travel and tourism industry is one of the biggest industries in the world, and managers can find work in virtually any country in the world, as long as it has a healthy tourism industry or tourism-driven economy. Managers need to think and work with a global perspective so that they can meet the needs of a variety of customers. The salary range and job outlook varies on the exact job title. Food service managers, for example, are expected to see slow growth in their field, and they earned an average of $43,000 in May of 2006. Lodging managers, however, can expect a faster job growth but earn about the same.