Overview
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Matches Students and Careers with the Professional Development Sequence
The International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Fairleigh Dickinson University is the longest running program of its kind in the New York region and among the first in the United States. Of more than 200 four-year programs in hospitality management in the U.S., the Princeton Review's "Gourman Report" named it as one of the top 15.
One reason is the unique professional development sequence, a focused and career-oriented approach to career preparation for graduate-track students. An important part of every student's education, the professional development sequence is a customized curriculum that combines particular classes, targeted activities, and appropriate work experiences to foster each individual's academic, professional, and personal growth.
The school's mission is to develop leaders in global hospitality, as well as global hospitality education. Being located in the world's largest hospitality/tourism market, the New York region, the school makes use of the many commercial and educational resources available. These real-world influences in the New York area combine with the school's growing network of off-site programs and cooperative enterprises that are undertaken with educational partners in Europe, the Caribbean, Asia, and South America. Students receive a truly global hospitality education, including a wide-ranging array of international experiences.
Since its founding in 1942 the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management has produced nearly 3,000 graduates, with alumni holding various high-profile positions in the hospitality industry in the United States as well as around the world. For graduate students, the school offers a Master of Science in Hospitality Management Studies, as well as a combined B.S./M.S. five-year degree program in hotel and restaurant management.
Hospitality Management Studies and Tourism Management Studies Connect FDU with the World
The Master of Science degree in Hospitality Management Studies is designed to meet the educational needs of adult learners currently working in the hospitality industry. The academically rigorous but flexible program of study meets all requirements for a professional master's degree, while offering an educational alternative for working professionals.
Working professionals can now upgrade their skills and advance their careers, as the rigorous components of the hospitality management studies program prepare them for career advancement in all hospitality-related professional careers. The program allows students to complete the various degree requirements by taking coursework at the Metropolitan Campus in Teaneck, New Jersey, and combining it with work at other, off-campus sites.
FDU's Office of Global Relations regularly offers exciting foreign-study opportunities with trips to countries all over the globe. Students in tourism management studies take advantage of these opportunities to explore global hospitality issues while studying or visiting in a foreign land.
In addition, Fairleigh Dickinson University also brings the world to its U.S. campuses. FDU enrolls over 900 students from more than 70 different countries, making up 10 percent of the university's total student body and a full 20 percent of the students at the Metropolitan Campus
The tourism management studies program benefits greatly from the school's links to the United Nations (UN), which go back to 1945 and the organization's founding. Students will have the invaluable opportunity to meet global leaders and participate in the international discourse about meeting the complex challenges of the 21st century.
FDU Hospitality Management Program Combines Rigorous Academics with Leading-Edge Research to Chart Future of the Field
Fairleigh Dickinson University has more than 300 professionals teaching full-time, with nearly 400 more part-time faculty. As current and previous hospitality and tourism professionals, their commitment to real-world education is unquestioned. Their mission is to educate the "whole student," which is what sets this faculty apart. From rigorous academics to innovative research, from local involvement to global opportunities, the faculty members share their experience and wisdom as they introduce students to new ways to think, create, and relate to one another and the world.
The world-class faculty at FDU will help students shape their future at the university, which will then help them shape a new world. To this end, graduate students and faculty perform individual and joint research projects, beginning with courses that teach how to do so.
In fact, an introduction to graduate research methods begins with a course emphasizing APA style, leading to the second portion of the semester that targets actual research. Both quantitative and qualitative research studies are designed, deployed, explored, and discussed in depth. A comprehensive research proposal, leading to a full protocol and report, is the goal of this essential course.
The school maintains research facilities to support studies of the hospitality and tourism industry. The Metropolitan Campus features a 2,000-square-foot demonstration lab, equipped with state-of-the-art food production and dining areas, TV cameras, teleconferencing equipment, and administrative and faculty offices. The school expands upon its own research facilities by maintaining a number of corporate partnerships. Through these partnerships, FDU offers jobs, internship placements, special classes, research projects, and valuable hands-on laboratory experience.
