Northeastern State University has earned a top spot among U.S. colleges and universities preparing students for careers in the multibillion-dollar hospitality industry. (Photo by Miguel Ángel Sanz on Unsplash)
Jobs are multiplying in the multifaceted hospitality industry in Oklahoma and across the country, and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah deserves high marks for the way it prepares students for them, University HQ reported Monday.
University HQ, which bills as an online resource to help people navigate higher education, assessed 100 colleges and universities recently to determine which ones provide the best value for students pursuing careers in things like hotel and restaurant management or casino, cruise or resort operations. It reported that NSU came in eighth for delivering both quality and affordability.
NSU isn’t huge, with an undergraduate and graduate student enrollment of about 7,300. Its in-state tuition costs, in the neighborhood of $6,900 per year, rated favorably against other schools. NSU also has respectable student retention and graduation rates, University HQ reported.
Students who enroll in hospitality and tourism management programs learn not only about hospitality, but also about data analysis, marketing, human resources, operations management and finance. Graduates should be able to find or work into positions as hotel administrators, attraction managers, directors of marketing, or coordinators of tourism programs, among others. Even before the pandemic, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that more than 1.1 million jobs in the travel and hospitality industries were waiting to be filled. The Oklahoma travel and tourism industry generated a record $9.6 billion in direct spending by an estimated 21.5 million visitors in 2018, according to research by the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department. Well more than 100,000 jobs in the state are supported by the industry, which has grown in recent years fueled, among other things, by investments made by tribes in casinos, hotels, restaurants and other attractions.
Joan Williams, an associate professor of hospitality and tourism management at NSU, said the hospitality industry is actually the No. 1 employer in the world, but most people have no idea how broad and expansive the field can be. Former NSU students have gone to work for large corporations in areas such as travel and event planning and hotel and casino management.
“When you work hard to create a quality program, it’s an honor to have it recognized,” Williams said. “We work hard to remain relevant in today’s changing environment. We (also) have the support of an energized advisory board that helps bring current best practices to the classroom.”
Completion of the program at NSU results in students receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in hospitality and tourism. Williams said students leave with a strong business base but also with specific knowledge of hospitality, tourism, gaming and recreation fields.
“It’s an exciting field to enter,” she said. “I think anyone with a love for this industry can gain from the formal training involved with a university degree.”
NSU offers more than just training for a bachelor’s degree. It also offers event management certification. Students who enroll in the 15-hour certificate program learn basics of meeting management, service industry management, tourism marketing and convention and trade show management.
“This is a great way for the university to help provide professional development to workers without them needing to return to college full time,” Williams said.
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