Tourism is one of our biggest sources of revenue and greatest assets. We know by now that every dollar a tourist spends touches our lives directly – whether we work in the hospitality industry or not. The University of New Orleans has leveraged the city’s commitment to tourism into a graduate program aimed at hospitality administration.

The Lester E. Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration has courses designed for undergraduates in addition to a master’s degree that provides in-depth training and enhances students’ knowledge of the industries that operate under the rubric of global tourism.

The city has a robust hospitality industry that includes beautiful hotels like the JW Marriott, above. (Photo courtesy Prayitno on Flickr)

The school offers an undergraduate program in hospitality as well, presenting an option for entry-level workers looking to advance their career. An undergraduate degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration can bridge the gap between entry-level positions and management.

Interested candidates in the master’s program can have undergraduate degrees in any field, although those who have degrees in fields other than hospitality or business administration will need to take a series of foundation courses to satisfy the master’s degree requirements.

The degree program – both for masters and undergraduate – also allows students to choose whether they pursue their classes in a part-time or full-time capacity, making it a great choice for professionals looking to extend their education while still working. In fact, the entire master’s program can be taken in the evening.

The Lester E. Kabacoff School of Hospitality, Restaurant, and Tourism Administration posits itself as a “living laboratory,” and we could not agree more. New Orleans’ prime access to robust hospitality commerce gives students an inside glimpse of tourism-oriented careers as they learn more about the inner workings of the industry. Most major hotel chains are represented in the city, in addition to a variety of festivals, award-winning restaurants, conventions, and more.

The program – offering the only master’s degree in hospitality and tourism administration in the state of Louisiana – features faculty with significant industry experience, and ninety percent of all students hold jobs directly related to the hospitality industry.

To learn more about the program, visit the school’s website or check out the HRT’s Facebook page.