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Specializations | Career Opportunities | Involvement and Leadership | Combination Degree |
Curriculum and Advising | Experiential Learning | Contact Us
The curriculum prepares students to gain competency in industry knowledge, develop intellectual abilities, and foster adaptive and technical leadership skills. In addition, the focus on the growth of individual and group dynamics through critical thinking is emphasized so that students will become leaders, decision- makers, and entrepreneurs and create change in an ever-evolving industry.
To earn the Bachelor of Science in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management courses must be completed successfully in general education, the major, and related professional and specialized courses. All students take a common core of classes providing them with foundational knowledge within the discipline. Subsequently, students select one of three specializations: Event Management, Tourism and Hospitality Management, or General.
Event Management: Gain the knowledge and skills necessary to administer and manage commercial and entrepreneurial event service businesses. This program includes courses in conference and special event planning, promotion, sponsorship, financial and revenue management, and production.
Tourism & Hospitality Management: Gain the knowledge and skills necessary to administer and manage destination management organizations, tour operations, public recreation, hospitality enterprises such as hotels, resorts, attractions, and cruises. This program includes courses in tourism and hospitality marketing, strategic planning and development, lodging operations and revenue management.
General: Gain the knowledge and skills necessary to work in a wide array of sectors related to the tourism, hospitality, and event management. This program provides an opportunity to select courses within the department to develop broad content knowledge in both Event Management and Tourism & Hospitality Management.
Experiential Option
Prior to the semester before graduation, students are placed in a capstone course (12 credit hours) which is a 13-week senior internship where they learn from experienced professionals, and provide excellent models of practice, quality service delivery and leadership. Most students are offered employment at the end of their internship due to their educational preparation and ability to transfer knowledge gained in an applied context. Read more about the experiential opportunities
Academic Option
Students that have current or past full-time industry experience (supervisory or entry level but not seasonal employment) will be able to substitute the internship engagement with a choice of five department course electives taken over the course of several semesters. Only students interested in the academic option will need to submit the following documents for approval beginning of their junior year:
1) Notice of intent form, 2) Current resume, and 3) Statement that outlines personal and professional goals, along with an overview of how past industry experience has prepared for a desired career position. The undergraduate curriculum committee will review and decide on approval.
Graduates pursue a wide range of exciting career opportunities including hotels, resorts, theme parks, cruise lines, casinos, clubs, restaurants, convention centers, tour operators, corporate, public, and private meetings and events, inclusive of the music, festivals, entertainment, fashion, attractions, and many other options.
Students with a BS in THEM could work in a variety of professions, such as:
Networking and Industry Outreach: Obtaining employment in tourism, hospitality or event management requires an intentional effort at building relationships (i.e., networking) with industry professionals. Networking opportunities are shared weekly through the Pulse Email Newsletter.
For more information about career opportunities in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, please schedule an appointment with your advisor or visit the Career Connections Center
For more information about these and all HHP student organizations, please visit our Student Involvement page.
The B.S./M.S. combination degree program allows qualified students to earn both a Bachelor's and Master's degree from the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management with 9 credit hours of graduate coursework counting towards both degrees. This program allows students to complete both degrees within a five-year time period instead of the usual six years. Click here to learn more.
Interested students should meet with an academic advisor early in their undergraduate career to determine eligibility.
To earn a Bachelor of Science in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, you must successfully complete 120 hours of prescribed coursework. Professional core courses, related option courses and specialization electives are taken during your last two years of work. A posting of the full list courses and brief description are listed in the undergraduate catalog for the University of Florida. For information about the required coursework, please schedule an appointment with Academic Advisor Bobbi Cabaret:
Interested in changing your major to Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management? Click here for more information.
Field Experience
Field Experience (LEI 3921) provides students with the opportunity to gain practical experience within the tourism, hospitality, and event management industry. Students apply their skills and knowledge as an agency volunteer in their particular sub-field of choice, by working and successfully fulfilling 80 hours over the course of one semester, ideally the semester prior to completing their full-time internship. Upon the successful completion of this course, all students will have finished their field experience requirement and have the tools necessary to submit a proposal required for their internship (packets will be submitted during the term).
During the course, we will provide resources to assist students to generate and modify their resumes and cover letters, position their credentials more effectively, and refine their site assessment skills. In addition, we will also require them to practice one of the most important success prediction skills - personal interview.
For more information about LEI 3921, see a recent syllabus for the course here.
We encourage students to start looking into potential sites to complete their Field Work for LEI 3921 up to 18 months in advance. International Students should be sure to connect with their advisor in the UF International Center, about how this requirement might impact their visas ahead of time as it may require approval from both the International Center and their departmental advisor.
FYI: Students are able to be paid/compensated for the field work experience and the senior internship however, they are not permitted to use a current job to fulfill the class or internship requirement. Additionally, to receive approval to complete the experience, the site and duties/responsibilities must align with the degree plan the student has selected.
Please click here to request to be registered for LEI 3921.
Internship
In comparison to other majors, THEM students are required to complete a full semester of internship, unless they have full time current/past experience in the industry and subject to approval. This internship requirement must be completed prior to graduation and should be completed during the semester of expected graduation after all other coursework has been successfully completed. Credit hours for the internship requirement are included in the credit hour total required for graduation.
>>Click here for more information about the internship course.
Optional Practicum Opportunities
The optional practicum is designed to provide practical experience for students in the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management. Students can earn elective course credit by maintaining a part-time workload in a setting appropriate to their specialization such as corporate and private event and meeting planners, visitors’ bureaus, theme parks and attractions, resorts, hotels and destination management organizations where significant learning possibilities exist. For more information about the practicum option, click here.
Please direct all internship questions to:
A variety of types of assistance are available including federal loans, work-study positions, scholarships, full-time and temporary employment and private sources. The Office for Student Financial Affairs at the University of Florida provides information about how to apply for financial aid at UF, deadlines and financial aid programs.
ADMINISTRATION & ADVISING
Do you have questions about our program or about your academic career? Send us an email!
To contact your advisor or schedule an appointment with them visit our Academic Advising page!
Rachel JC Fu, Chair | racheljuichifu@ufl.edu
Mailing Address
University of Florida
Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management
PO Box 118209
Gainesville, FL 32611
Tel: (352) 294-1661
Fax: (352) 846-6627
The experience and education that I received while attending the tourism and recreation management program was pivotal to where I am in my career today. Every professor is an expertise in their field and they help pass that knowledge along to the students. HHP believes that the Alumni help drive success to their program and is the reason I have been coming back to speak at UF for the past 5 semesters. - Matthew Batson, Facility Operations Maintenance Coordinator (Orlando, FL)