Hospitality Degree

Leaving university with a degree in hospitality, hospitality degree UK graduates have the opportunity to work in a number of different roles, and with the potential for worldwide travel.

With that in mind, we’re going to showcase some of the most relevant hospitality management degree jobs right here. Buckle up, because your hospitality and tourism degree is going to take you on an exciting journey…

What to do with a hospitality degree

Hotel management is a key area for hospitality degree graduates. The role involves responsibility for a large team, so you’ll need to be organised, personable and willing to give direction to others. Some people use a career as a hotel manager as a ticket around the world, spending a few years at a time managing one accommodation before jetting off to the next job.

It’s not just hotels, though. A hospitality management degree can prepare you to manage all kinds of accommodation from cruise ships to youth hostels, conference centres, and university halls of residence. You could even become a facilities manager in a hospital or care home. If a career in food appeals to you, you could become a catering manager, working freelance for functions hire, or fixed within a particular organisation.

Other food roles include chef (training on the job or with a stint at catering college - this job involves passion, creativity, precision, and potentially long shifts, and having a degree in catering and hospitality doesn’t hurt either); restaurant manager (a business-focussed role, ideal for hospitality management degree UK graduates or even a hospitality management degree UK graduate); public house manager (requiring similar business skills and an extra dose of geniality); or fast food restaurant manager (widely available roles, sometimes including franchising opportunities).

What can you do with a hospitality degree?

Many students start their journey with an initial foundation degree in hospitality operations management or a foundation degree in any other hospitality-related area. Once students have started with this degree, they may then discover the best hospitality degree programs for them, like a management hospitality degree.

The organisational skills and understanding of the leisure industry that you develop on a hospitality and tourism degree or a hospitality management masters degree also lend themselves perfectly to a career as an events planner or event manager.

Your cool head, people skills and customer service expertise could make you a great addition to a flight crew, or to become a holiday rep, both of which have constant travel built into the job. And if you want your hospitality degree to take you to different countries, you could also consider becoming a travel consultant, tour manager, travel agent, travel writer or local or national tourism officer.

You could go into HR in the travel and tourism industry, which is a busy role due to the seasonal demands and turnover of travelling staff. A human resources officer requires great communication, motivation and a head for detail.

A step removed from the typical industry, your hospitality management degree provides you with the transferable skills to become a customer service manager or a retail manager. You can also research opportunities for graduate training programmes which can take you in an entirely new direction.

There are so many options for graduates with a hospitality and tourism degree that the question isn’t, ‘what can I do with a hospitality degree?’, but ‘what do I most want to do with it?’ Students are advised to pinpoint the areas they wish to study and find the right course for them.

Courses in hospitality (and even a hospitality management degree online) and catering offer exciting and challenging careers, and as one of the fast-growing global industries the rewards, experience and opportunities are endless. This subject area is perfect for individuals who are full of energy and enthusiasm and are solely focused.

Hospitality and catering courses cover areas such as, health and safety, nutrition and any other issues that arise within the industry. Hospitality degree courses tend to be vocational in nature and include plenty of practical involvement offering chances to collect hands-on experience.

Many students also look to study abroad too. The idea of doing a hospitality degree in Canada, may not have occured to you before, but you have a chance to gain a fascinating insight into the world of hospitality within another culture and the chance to learn more about the country too!

What A Levels do I need?

University entry requirements for any hospitality degree program such as hospitality and catering tend to start at 280 UCAS points, or BBB A-levels, however, universities who are at the top end of the league table tend to ask more of their prospective candidates.

Some courses may not ask students to have specific subjects; however, business studies, geography and food science won’t harm your application and shows your dedication to the area. Students are advised to check with their desired universities and chosen courses to ensure they understand what they need as prerequisites for their degree.

What are my study options?

Completing a Hospitality degree is not the only option on offer for individuals interested within this subject area. Opportunities to study Bachelor degree Hospitality Management (BA) in Hospitality Business Management degree, (with or without a modern language), and the same course with a placement year, or Travel and Tourism Management degree or any other online hospitality degree as well.

Students who are interested in attending a course with a placement year will be able to work within the industry and gain valuable work experience during a year of their course, which tends to increase the standard length of three years to four in total.

Both areas, hospitality and catering work well as a combined degree course, either with each other or another subject, such as Business Management, Tourism, Food Technology, Travel and Finance. Subject areas such as Food Technology and Management will feature more textbook and academic studying of the area, while Hotel Management, Tourism and Travel will offer opportunities to look at the practical side of the subject.

What should I expect from studying Hospitality and Catering?

Students will be taught a wide range of modules, from ethics to marketing, to operations analysis and business law – all areas that will cover hospitality and catering.

This will keep the course interesting and provide individuals with an extensive range of knowledge.

The first year will typically provide students with a decent foundation in management and the hospitality industry which will then be built on in the following years. Students may study areas in business communication skills, business environment, and modules focusing on practical assessment and case study on a local restaurant.

How will I be assessed?

Teaching and learning will stem from an array of methods, from university lectures, seminars, workshops, live business case studies, field trips and practical assessment.

What skills will I learn from studying Hospitality and Catering?

Students will gain skills in communication and operational expertise from working on case studies and within group projects, which will also raise confidence. Individuals will gain management and teamwork skills which will become extremely helpful after graduation and when looking to secure a placement/employment.

Students who attend university tend to gain skills in areas that are transferable after graduating, from organisation and time-management skills and social skills from working within a team or on a group project.

Why study Hospitality and Catering?

The hospitality and catering sector is a broad and varied area with plenty of opportunities for employment and an array of career possibilities for individuals. Studying this area will provide students with the training in running a business and a team during a fast-paced environment and industry.

Whether students choose to enrol on to a hospitality degree course with a placement year or not, there will be practical elements and assessments during the degree, allowing students to gain knowledge and experience in areas that will help them find employment after they graduate, practical assignments are however, limited on a hospitality degree online.

What happens after I graduate?

Graduates may find themselves running their own hotel, manage an attraction, amusement park, work in events, marketing or the leisure business. Throughout the catering sector, graduates have the chance to create a pop-up restaurant or to start a chain of restaurants or even train to become a chef.

As this sector is varied, there are different job opportunities and directions available, and even choose to go into solely management, business or communication through the skills collected during studying.

Students may decide to continue their studies onto postgraduate, or seek employment, or enter a graduate employment scheme where individuals will gain extra and advanced training through working.

Will it help me get a job?

There are opportunities internationally as well as nationally for hospitality and catering graduates, and sadly, the opportunities will continuously be varied due to the nature of the degree. Students may manage or run hotels, and fill challenging, yet rewarding positions and something that pays dividends with a hotel management hospitality degree.

What types of jobs can I get from studying Hospitality and Catering?

Graduates may choose to work within roles in front office, reservations, sales, events, training, development, marketing, business operations and product development. However, other students may wish to stay clear of these roles and move into a different industry and to take their skills in management and business with them.

What can I study after Hospitality and Catering?

For those wishing to specialise their training and expertise may choose to study at postgraduate level. For example, the options available as a Master’s degree in Hospitality include; Business, Marketing, International Business Management, online Hospitality Management degree, Marketing Management, International Marketing and International Hospitality Management. A master degree in hospitality is a great chance to explore the postgraduate options open to you and go that extra step further when looking for new jobs.