Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Outcomes

• Knowledge of the foundations of the hospitality industry: history, lexicon, and sectors.
• Knowledge of the role of hospitality in society.
• Knowledge of core hospitality business functions, including, but not limited to, finance and accounting, marketing, operations, human resources and organizational behavior, and revenue management.
• Knowledge of the concepts, frameworks, and methods of experience design and management.
• Knowledge of key macro-level issues that mutually impact hospitality and society, including, but not limited to, technology, sustainability, and wellness.

Skill Outcomes

• An ability to exercise innovation as a learnable iterative process.
• An ability to optimize human interactions in experience-based industries.
• An ability to apply analytics to facilitate decisionmaking.
• An ability to lead individuals, groups, and organizations.
• An ability to communicate ideas in a persuasive and effective manner.

Requirements

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Hospitality Administration will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy some BU Hub requirements in Historical Consciousness; Social Inquiry; Quantitative Reasoning; Global Citizenship; Communication; and the Intellectual Toolkit. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

Degree Requirements

A candidate for the degree must earn 128 units in BU Hub, major, and elective courses. In addition, 600 hours of on-the-job experience are required. This experience is divided between two separate 300-hour experiences and may be completed at any time during the degree program. An international experience is also required.

Major Requirements

Foundational Courses (20 units)

• CAS MA 113 Elementary Statistics OR CAS MA 115 Statistics I
• CAS MA 119 Applied Mathematics for Personal Finance 
• CAS PS 101 General Psychology
• Proficiency through level two of a second language

SHA Core Courses (48 units)

• SHA HF 100 Introduction to the Hospitality Industry
• SHA HF 150 Experience Management
• SHA HF 210 Financial Accounting for the Hospitality Industry
• SHA HF 222 Revenue Management
• SHA HF 231 Human Resources Management for the Hospitality Industry
• SHA HF 260 Hospitality Marketing Principles
• SHA HF 278 Hospitality Analytical Problem Solving
• SHA HF 282 Business Communications
• SHA HF 303 Hospitality Innovation and Disruption
• SHA HF 310 Managerial Accounting for the Hospitality Industry
• SHA HF 432 Hospitality Leadership
• SHA HF 460 Hospitality Strategic Marketing

SHA Elective Courses (12 units)

Please see the most up-to-date offering of electives on the school curriculum website. Hospitality electives are offered in 2- or 4-unit courses. When selecting the electives, students should consider their career objectives and personal interests. It is important to make sure that you have completed any prerequisite courses before registering for hospitality electives.

• SHA HF 220 Food and Beverage Management (4 units)
• SHA HF 250 Hospitality Law (2 units)
• SHA HF 270 Lodging Operations & Technology (4 units)
• SHA HF 295 Private Club Management (2 units)
• SHA HF 302 Research Methods (4 units)
• SHA HF 307 Hospitality Entrepreneurship (4 units)
• SHA HF 314 Hospitality Market Feasibility and Valuation (2 units)
• SHA HF 315 Fundamentals of a Hotel Real Estate Deal (2 units)
• SHA HF 322 Hospitality Design (4 units)
• SHA HF 329 Intro to Fine Wines (2 units)
• SHA HF 331 Training and Performance Management (4 units)
• SHA HF 360 Hospitality Sales Management (2 units)
• SHA HF 361 Advanced Consumer Behavior in Hospitality (4 units)
• SHA HF 368 Digital Marketing Strategies (4 units)
• SHA HF 375 Meetings & Conventions (4 units)
• SHA HF 376 Special Event Planning and Operations (4 units)
• SHA HF 410 Hospitality Finance (4 units)
• SHA HF 415 Hospitality Asset Management (2 units)
• SHA HF 416 Hospitality Franchising (2 units)

Work Experiences (0 units)

In addition to regular coursework, SHA students complete two, 300-hour, non-unit work experiences. The purpose of each work experience is to help the students make connections in the field as well as gain the kind of experience that will allow them to obtain meaningful employment after graduation. These requirements are linked to the non-unit courses SHA HF 140 and SHA HF 240.

International Experience (0 units)

All SHA students are required to demonstrate significant exposure to a culture outside of their home country. For many students, this experience involves participating in a Boston University Study Abroad program either during a term or summer. For others, it may involve specifically designed coursework completed at the University. Please refer to the International Experience Manual (HF 440 Manual) for detailed information about how to fulfill this requirement. This requirement is linked to the non-unit course SHA HF 440. Students are NOT eligible to apply for a study abroad program unless they have completed at least one 400-hour work experience.

Hospitality Concentrations

Through the Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration program, students have the opportunity to declare one of seven hospitality concentrations as a way to fulfill hospitality elective units.