10 Fastest Online Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management

Get­ting into a fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment degree pro­gram helps you find sat­is­fac­to­ry employ­ment and career oppor­tu­ni­ties in less time. Earn­ing a degree helps avoid the long, slow climb up the lad­der in the hos­pi­tal­i­ty indus­try. There’s no need to spend years wait­ing for an oppor­tu­ni­ty to advance up the career lad­der and risk get­ting stuck in a dead-end posi­tion. An accel­er­at­ed hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment degree offers the same edu­ca­tion cur­ricu­lum as a tra­di­tion­al­ly paced pro­gram and car­ries the same weight with employ­ers. It’s also ide­al for work­ing pro­fes­sion­als who want to earn a degree and main­tain employ­ment while attend­ing school.

The skills taught in a fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment degree pro­gram are designed to help a stu­dent gain entry-lev­el and mid-man­age­ment posi­tions in the hos­pi­tal­i­ty indus­try. Get­ting a bach­e­lor’s degree in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment offers more employ­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties for the grad­u­ate. A degree can open doors to posi­tions that may oth­er­wise take years to reach with­out edu­ca­tion. How­ev­er, not every­one wants or needs to immerse them­selves in get­ting a bach­e­lor’s or mas­ter’s degree to aid their career, but they do want to enhance their resume’ and make them­selves more appeal­ing to a poten­tial or cur­rent employer.

Methodology: How We Ranked the Best Accelerated Hospitality Management Programs

Stu­dents and work­ing adults look­ing for a fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment degree pro­gram can trust Bachelor’s Degree Cen­ter. Edi­tors scoured high­er edu­ca­tion for online pro­grams built for speed, then ranked them accord­ing to Cost, Salary Poten­tial, and Stu­dent Satisfaction.

1. Eastern New Mexico University

East­ern New Mex­i­co Uni­ver­si­ty offers a Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment BBA online pro­gram. This accel­er­at­ed hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment degree can be com­plet­ed 100% online and gives you the skillset need­ed to open doors for posi­tions involv­ing event coor­di­na­tion, hotel man­age­ment, and busi­ness devel­op­ment. It’s designed for peo­ple who like to explore new places and solve prob­lems cre­ative­ly. This Bach­e­lor of Busi­ness Admin­is­tra­tion is a great option to fast track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment careers.

East­ern New Mex­i­co, locat­ed in Por­tales, New Mex­i­co, has a great rep­u­ta­tion as a com­pet­i­tive uni­ver­si­ty. The school accepts approx­i­mate­ly 60% of appli­cants. Its mot­to is “a com­mit­ment to stu­dent success.”

What We Like: The school val­ues diver­si­ty and aca­d­e­m­ic per­for­mance and 98% of stu­dents receive finan­cial aid.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment, BBA Online

East­ern New Mex­i­co Uni­ver­si­ty Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment BBA

2. Northeastern State University

North­east­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty has a two-year online BBA for Hos­pi­tal­i­ty and Tourism Man­age­ment. This accel­er­at­ed hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment pro­gram pro­vides you with the tools to suc­ceed as a pro­fes­sion­al in trav­el, tourism, gam­ing, meet­ing man­age­ment, and oth­er hos­pi­tal­i­ty indus­tries. It stands out as one of the first pro­grams to get the stamp of approval from the Pro­fes­sion­al Con­ven­tion Man­age­ment Asso­ci­a­tion, mak­ing it an excel­lent option for fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment education.

North­east­ern State lies in Tahle­quah, Okla­homa. This small pub­lic insti­tu­tion has an accep­tance rate of 98%, giv­ing appli­cants an excel­lent chance of pur­su­ing their edu­ca­tion. The school empha­sizes diver­si­ty and ath­let­ics and hosts many com­pet­i­tive sports, includ­ing bas­ket­ball, base­ball, and soccer.

What We Like: North­east­ern State has a small stu­dent-to-staff ratio of 19:1.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty and Tourism Man­age­ment, BBA Online 2/Years

North­east­ern State Uni­ver­si­ty BBA for Hos­pi­tal­i­ty and Tourism Management

3. Florida International University

Flori­da Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty has a ful­ly online pro­gram that lets you earn FIU’s B.S. in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment. The accel­er­at­ed hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment pro­gram falls under the Chap­lin School of Hos­pi­tal­i­ty & Tourism Man­age­ment, which is ranked as a top hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment pro­gram at home and inter­na­tion­al­ly. This is a great choice to fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment careers in hotels, tourism, and foodservice.

Locat­ed in Mia­mi, Flori­da, FIU places a height­ened aware­ness on aca­d­e­m­ic per­for­mance. With a 59% accep­tance rate, the school isn’t the eas­i­est one to get into, but the excel­lent edu­ca­tion and diver­si­ty avail­able on its inter­na­tion­al main cam­pus pro­vide unprece­dent­ed oppor­tu­ni­ties to make valu­able connections.

What We Like: FIU is ranked in the Top 40 Food Col­leges in the Unit­ed States and is rec­og­nized inter­na­tion­al­ly for its stu­dent diversity.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment, BS Online

Flori­da Inter­na­tion­al Uni­ver­si­ty B.S. in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Management

4. North Carolina Central University

North Car­oli­na Cen­tral Uni­ver­si­ty offers a B.S. in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty and Tourism Admin­is­tra­tion. This ful­ly online accel­er­at­ed hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment pro­gram pre­pares stu­dents for entry-lev­el man­age­ment jobs in hos­pi­tal­i­ty. Addi­tion­al­ly, the pro­gram holds cre­den­tials with the Accred­i­ta­tion Com­mis­sion for Pro­grams in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Admin­is­tra­tion (ACPHA), rec­om­mend­ing it for learn­ers who want to fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment education.

North Car­oli­na Cen­tral ranks in the top 51 col­leges with a vibrant Greek cul­ture and 97% of stu­dents find finan­cial aid to attend. Its Eagle mas­cot is a great source of pride among the stu­dent body. The school ranks high in fac­ul­ty accom­plish­ments and stu­dent reviews.

What We Like: With a fac­ul­ty-to-stu­dent ratio of 16:1, online learn­ers can count on indi­vid­ual atten­tion and an inti­mate dig­i­tal learn­ing environment.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty & Tourism Admin­is­tra­tion, BS Online

North Car­oli­na Cen­tral Uni­ver­si­ty B.S. in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty and Tourism Administration

5. Norfolk State University

Nor­folk State Uni­ver­si­ty has a com­pet­i­tive online B.S. in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty and Tourism Man­age­ment pro­gram for stu­dents look­ing for cours­es in man­age­ment and oper­a­tions com­bined with tra­di­tion­al busi­ness cours­es, such as account­ing and finance. The accel­er­at­ed hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment pro­gram gives stu­dents an excel­lent grasp of entre­pre­neur­ship that serves them well if they decide to open their own busi­ness­es. The entre­pre­neur­ship makes Nor­folk State a great place to fast track hos­pi­tal­i­ty management.

Nor­folk State Uni­ver­si­ty, locat­ed in Nor­folk, Vir­ginia, is a his­tor­i­cal­ly black col­lege with a firm com­mit­ment to edu­cat­ing black Amer­i­cans. Its 90% accep­tance rate makes it high­ly acces­si­ble to local and nation­al learn­ers. Busi­ness is one of the most pop­u­lar majors at NSU. It also has a high­ly ranked ath­let­ic pro­gram for a school its size.

What We Like: The uni­ver­si­ty’s loca­tion near major cities, such as the nation’s cap­i­tal, makes it eas­i­er to pur­sue intern­ships that can lead to enrich­ing careers.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty and Tourism Man­age­ment, BS Online

Nor­folk State Uni­ver­si­ty B.S. in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty and Tourism Management

6. Missouri State University

The online BAS degree in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Lead­er­ship at Mis­souri State Uni­ver­si­ty helps stu­dents pur­sue their accel­er­at­ed hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment degree online. Grad­u­ates find employ­ment as hotel man­agers, casi­no prop­er­ty admin­is­tra­tors, restau­rant man­agers, and trav­el coor­di­na­tors. This is a great choice for appli­cants who want to learn high­ly sought skills, and it can help you fast track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment career growth since 90% of grad­u­ates land posi­tions with com­pet­i­tive salaries.

What We Like: This pro­gram is designed for stu­dents with an asso­ciate degree in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment who wish to com­plete a bach­e­lor’s degree.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Lead­er­ship, BAS Online

BAS in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Lead­er­ship — Mis­souri State University

7. Southern Illinois University — Carbondale

South­ern Illi­nois Uni­ver­si­ty has an online BS in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty, Tourism, and Event Man­age­ment that’s unique for its focus on des­ti­na­tion man­age­ment. Stu­dents can choose their own hours to com­plete course­work so that it doesn’t inter­fere with their fam­i­ly and work oblig­a­tions. The HTEM pro­gram received accred­i­ta­tion from the Accred­i­ta­tion Com­mis­sion for Pro­grams in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Admin­is­tra­tion, and it has an Eta Sig­ma Delta chap­ter of the Inter­na­tion­al Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment Soci­ety. You can expe­ri­ence oppor­tu­ni­ties for intern­ships as well as com­mu­ni­ty ser­vice. Stu­dents who want to learn what it takes to suc­ceed in resort or restau­rant man­age­ment, event man­age­ment, or des­ti­na­tion man­age­ment may choose SIU to fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment opportunities.

Near­ly 70% of stu­dents at South­ern Illi­nois Uni­ver­si­ty feel their pro­fes­sors put a lot of effort into their cours­es. About the same per­cent­age feel there’s no prob­lem get­ting the class­es they pre­fer. About one in eight stu­dents is over 25, mak­ing this a pop­u­lar choice for return­ing e‑learners. SIU is a top agri­cul­tur­al uni­ver­si­ty and the Depart­ment of Ani­mal Sci­ence, Food and Nutri­tion offers hos­pi­tal­i­ty stu­dents unique access to tech­no­log­i­cal and real-world tools and resources.

What We Like: With stu­dents from all 50 states and 100 coun­tries, SIU offers online learn­ers an unprece­dent­ed oppor­tu­ni­ty for diverse networking.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty, Tourism & Event Man­age­ment, BS Online

South­ern Illi­nois Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty, Tourism, and Event Management

8. Johnson & Wales University

John­son & Wales Uni­ver­si­ty has an online BS in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment. Cur­rent hos­pi­tal­i­ty pro­fes­sion­als ben­e­fit from this con­ve­nient oppor­tu­ni­ty to advance in the indus­try. Learn how to man­age peo­ple and process­es in food and bev­er­age, tourism, lodg­ing, and event plan­ning. The school has a web of indus­try con­nec­tions around the world. Cor­po­rate affil­i­a­tions with Dar­d­en, Com­pass Group, and Mar­riot make JWU grad­u­ates like­ly to find a posi­tion upon grad­u­a­tion. With pres­ti­gious con­nec­tions in the indus­try, this pro­gram is a great choice for e‑learners look­ing to fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment edu­ca­tion by build­ing on their exist­ing careers.

John­son & Wales is inter­na­tion­al­ly rec­og­nized for the qual­i­ty of its grad­u­ates. Since the school spe­cial­izes in hos­pi­tal­i­ty degrees, there’s a top-down focus on obtain­ing expe­ri­enced fac­ul­ty and staff to sup­port stu­dent learn­ing and aspi­ra­tions. With an accep­tance rate of 84%, JWU is a high­ly acces­si­ble school. With loca­tions in Den­ver, North Mia­mi, Prov­i­dence, and Char­lotte, JWU offers online stu­dents access to ben­e­fi­cial intern­ships near its brick-and-mor­tar sites. The North Mia­mi loca­tion ranks #5 among the nation’s top culi­nary arts schools.

What We Like: Stu­dents who want to extend their man­age­r­i­al skills can minor in Human Resource Man­age­ment, which increas­es their employ­ment oppor­tu­ni­ties in hos­pi­tal­i­ty management.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment, BS Online

John­son & Wales Uni­ver­si­ty BS in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Management

9. Oregon State University

Ore­gon State Uni­ver­si­ty has an online Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment BS or BA pro­gram that makes it pos­si­ble for hos­pi­tal­i­ty work­ers to com­plete their course­work on their own timetable. After you fin­ish this pro­gram, which falls under the university’s busi­ness school, you’ll have a firm mas­tery of tech­no­log­i­cal inno­va­tions that improve the guest expe­ri­ence. The cur­ricu­lum focus­es on improv­ing skillsets such as oper­a­tions man­age­ment, ser­vice, food and bev­er­age man­age­ment, and hos­pi­tal­i­ty tech­nol­o­gy. Stu­dents also walk away with a firm grasp of account­ing and mar­ket­ing con­cepts and the oppor­tu­ni­ty to fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment learning.

Ore­gon State ranks high­ly and is a pub­lic uni­ver­si­ty in Cor­val­lis, Ore­gon. With near­ly 20,000 stu­dents and an 81% accep­tance rate, the uni­ver­si­ty offers easy access to edu­ca­tion and the oppor­tu­ni­ty to join a large pop­u­la­tion of exist­ing grad­u­ates. Pop­u­lar majors include Busi­ness, Com­put­er Sci­ence, and Human Development.

What We Like: For indus­try pro­fes­sion­als who wish to take cours­es, the online pro­gram accepts non­de­gree-seek­ing learn­ers. So, you can choose cours­es that fur­ther your career plans.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment, BS/BA Online

Ore­gon State Uni­ver­si­ty Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment BS or BA

10. Stratford University

Strat­ford Uni­ver­si­ty boasts a com­pet­i­tive online Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment BA pro­gram. Study­ing online gives its stu­dents an oppor­tu­ni­ty to increase their knowl­edge with­out sac­ri­fic­ing their careers. Its HM pro­gram enables stu­dents to con­tin­ue build­ing on an asso­ciate degree in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment, restau­rant man­age­ment, bak­ing and pas­try arts, advanced culi­nary arts, and oth­er spe­cial­iza­tions. The cur­ricu­lum focus­es on cus­tomer sat­is­fac­tion, bud­get­ing, com­mu­ni­ca­tion, orga­ni­za­tion, project plan­ning, and safe­ty and secu­ri­ty, and stu­dents can fast track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment career advancement.

Locat­ed in Oak­ton, Vir­ginia, Strat­ford is a pri­vate uni­ver­si­ty near­by Wash­ing­ton, D.C. The uni­ver­si­ty accepts 100% of appli­cants, mak­ing it one of the most acces­si­ble gate­ways to high­er edu­ca­tion. With an empha­sis on food ser­vices, culi­nary arts and bak­ing and pas­try arts, Strat­ford presents an ide­al oppor­tu­ni­ty to learn about hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment. A vast major­i­ty of stu­dents cred­it the fac­ul­ty with a car­ing and pro­fes­sion­al atti­tude and putting effort into their cur­ricu­lum. With a small stu­dent body, the uni­ver­si­ty makes it easy to get the class­es e‑learners need and want to take.

What We Like: Stu­dents enjoy an unpar­al­lel fac­ul­ty to learn­er ratio of 6:1. With about 500 full-time and 1,500 part-time stu­dents, Strat­ford offers its stu­dents an oppor­tu­ni­ty for indi­vid­ual atten­tion and hands-on learning.

Degree: Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment, BA Online

Strat­ford Uni­ver­si­ty Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Man­age­ment BA

What if I Don’t Need a Bachelor’s Degree?

Cer­tifi­cates in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment are a viable alter­na­tive to get­ting a bach­e­lor’s degree in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment. The amount of time required to earn a cer­tifi­cate of hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment depends on the insti­tu­tion offer­ing the cours­es, but most hos­pi­tal­i­ty cer­tifi­cates can be earned in one to two years of school­ing. An accel­er­at­ed cer­tifi­cate in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment cov­ers the basics of hotel and restau­rant oper­a­tion, finan­cial and employ­ee man­age­ment, and how to meet the needs of guests and take care of their concerns.

Not all cer­tifi­cate in tourism and hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment pro­grams are cre­at­ed equal. The hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment field is broad and man­agers may find them­selves per­form­ing many tasks or focus on man­ag­ing a spe­cif­ic type of oper­a­tion with­in the orga­ni­za­tion. Before decid­ing upon a cer­tifi­cate in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment pro­gram, make sure that the cours­es offered are in align­ment with your goals. Tak­ing a pro­gram that spe­cial­izes in man­ag­ing the food and bev­er­age divi­sion won’t work when the goal is to work in the mar­ket­ing and sales divi­sion. How­ev­er, if the goal is to be as ful­ly edu­cat­ed as pos­si­ble in the field, then earn­ing mul­ti­ple cer­tifi­cates in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment is a good strategy.

One of the biggest advan­tages of get­ting a hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment cer­tifi­cate is cost. Many accred­it­ed uni­ver­si­ties and col­leges offer fast-track hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment cer­tifi­cate pro­grams that are respect­ed by the hos­pi­tal­i­ty indus­try and aren’t as expen­sive as an asso­ci­ate’s or bach­e­lor’s degree pro­gram. Cer­tifi­cates show a poten­tial employ­er that the appli­cant took the time and effort to learn skills pri­or to apply­ing and has some­thing to bring to the role.

Earn­ing a hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment cer­tifi­cate is an excel­lent alter­na­tive for work­ing pro­fes­sion­als who want to offer more val­ue to an employ­er in terms of skill. For those who are just start­ing their career in the hos­pi­tal­i­ty field, get­ting a cer­tifi­cate in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment helps boost their pro­file and expands employ­ment options. It also takes less time to com­plete the school­ing and earn the cred­its for most pro­grams offer­ing hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment certificates.

What Will I Learn in an Accelerated Hospitality Program?

Unlike a bach­e­lor of sci­ence, cer­tifi­cate pro­grams are high­ly spe­cial­ized with spe­cif­ic cred­it hours and no elec­tives. They also dis­pense with the gen­er­al edu­ca­tion require­ment of most busi­ness man­age­ment pro­grams. For instance, a cer­tifi­cate may focus entire­ly on food ser­vice man­age­ment, hos­pi­tal­i­ty mar­ket­ing, lodg­ing man­age­ment, hos­pi­tal­i­ty law, strate­gic man­age­ment, or finan­cial management/revenue man­age­ment in the tourism industry.

Admis­sion require­ments to enroll in a cer­tifi­cate pro­gram are typ­i­cal­ly low­er than a bachelor’s degree. Your high school GPA will prob­a­bly be unim­por­tant. You learn the fun­da­men­tals of the field, but may not get hands-on expe­ri­ence. You’ll need work expe­ri­ence to devel­op soft skills like deci­sion-mak­ing and problem-solving.

If you want to move on to an online hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment degree, the indus­try expe­ri­ence you already have will com­bine with lib­er­al arts and trans­fer cred­its to reduce your tuition costs. Inter­na­tion­al stu­dents inter­est­ed in trav­el and tourism degrees will be well-served by online programs.

Can I Get a Certificate Online?

Many edu­ca­tion­al insti­tu­tions offer a cer­tifi­cate in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment online. Tak­ing an online hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment cer­tifi­cate pro­gram is an excel­lent option for peo­ple look­ing to advance their cur­rent career path and for peo­ple who want to start a career in the hos­pi­tal­i­ty indus­try. An online hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment cer­tifi­cate pro­gram aver­ages any­where between 40 to 60 hours of course­work and can be com­plet­ed in under two years. Per­haps the biggest advan­tage offered by get­ting a cer­tifi­cate in hos­pi­tal­i­ty online is the fact that it’s flex­i­ble and stu­dents can learn at their own pace.

It’s worth not­ing that get­ting a cer­tifi­cate in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment online focus­es on man­age­ment skills only. Some cours­es may offer intern­ships or require work­ing a set num­ber of hours in a hos­pi­tal­i­ty set­ting to earn the cer­tifi­cate. If you have a desire to learn about how to prop­er­ly man­age a kitchen and han­dle equip­ment, you may pre­fer to take an online hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment pro­gram that has an on-site kitchen class­room where these skills are taught.

There’s a lot of val­ue to tak­ing an online hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment cer­tifi­cate pro­gram when it comes to learn­ing new skills or build­ing on old ones. The edu­ca­tion pro­vid­ed by these pro­grams helps you grasp what it takes to man­age peo­ple and oper­a­tions in a rel­a­tive­ly short amount of time. In turn, your career advances more quick­ly and you’re less like­ly to get stuck in a posi­tion with no advance­ment. A degree or cer­tifi­cate in hos­pi­tal­i­ty man­age­ment gives you oppor­tu­ni­ties that you may not have otherwise.

Relat­ed Rankings: 

15 Best Online Bach­e­lor’s in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Management

10 Most Afford­able Bach­e­lor’s in Hos­pi­tal­i­ty Management

15 Best Online Train­ing and Devel­op­ment Programs