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Washington State University
Carson College of Business School of Hospitality Business Management

School of Hospitality Business Management

Undergraduate programs that can take you around the world

A bachelor of arts in Hospitality Business Management provides you with specialized instruction in the operation of hospitality-industry businesses.

Learning from faculty members with vast industry experience, you’ll master the fundamentals of operating hotels, restaurants, managed services venues, and tourist destinations—whether they’re located in the U.S. or around the world. Top industry leaders speak in your classes. Hands-on instruction and real-world experiences build the skills you need to launch a successful career.

The program will prepare you to succeed in the management of:

  • operations
  • revenues
  • sales
  • service
  • event planning
  • consulting

The School of Hospitality Business Management consistently ranks among the top 5 percent of the 170 similar programs in the nation. Alumni live and work in nations around the world.

View Current Opportunities

Real-world learning

By the time you graduate, you will have achieved the following:

  • Worked 1,000 hours in the hospitality industry, earning employer evaluation scores of 80% or higher.
  • Applied hospitality business leadership skills to solve problems.
  • Identified service issues and proposed solutions, considering the interests of stakeholders.
  • Worked with a team to evaluate a hospitality operation, present findings, and propose solutions to perceived problems, considering implications for stakeholders.
  • Deepened your understanding of different cultures and their associated business operations, preferably through studying abroad.

International learning opportunities

Since 1984, nearly 1,000 WSU students have studied at or received their WSU degree through César Ritz Colleges in Switzerland—a traditional Swiss hospitality school. The Brig campus of César Ritz is the site of the Carson College Switzerland International Center.

Work experience/internship requirement

You will apply the theories you learn in the classroom by working in hospitality businesses. As a major in hospitality business management or wine business management, you must complete an industry internship or work experience requirement: 1,000 hours for a major and 400 hours for a minor. Searching for jobs is made easy by the fact that industry partners regularly visit campus to recruit interns and graduates.

Scholarships

Apply for the SHBM Scholarship in early Spring. More info to come.
 

The School of Hospitality Business Management awards over $125,000 in scholarships each year. Watch your student email for application information and deadlines.

Be sure to also explore availability of scholarships at the college and university levels.

Careers

The School hosts 2 events specifically designed to connect hospitality business management students with employers in the hospitality industry.

Facilities

In the Marriott Foundation Hospitality Teaching Center, you’ll learn in a state-of-the-art teaching/production kitchen, an elegant dining room, and a wine-tasting area. This extraordinary learning environment was made possible through a generous donation from the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation.

Locations

In addition to the Pullman campus, the School offers degree programs at these locations:

WSU Everett

For transfer students. You must complete a set of prerequisite courses to apply.

Vancouver

The only hospitality bachelor’s degree program in the Southwest Washington and Portland metropolitan area

Tri-Cities

Wine Beverage Business Management

Global Campus

 

Switzerland

Study at César Ritz Colleges in Switzerland—a traditional Swiss hospitality school.

Programs of study

Undergraduate

Hospitality business management major

Hospitality business management minor

Senior living management major

Wine and beverage business management major

Graduate

Ph.D. in business administration with a concentration in hospitality and tourism

Online MBA with a concentration in Hospitality Business Management

Give to SHBM

Events

Monday, February 5, 2024

2024 Hospitality Week Schedule

Monday February 26, 2024

  • Free coffee give-a-way in Todd atrium by SHBM students/ambassadors

Tuesday February 27, 2024

  • Industry Expert Panel: 12 – 1 p.m.
    CUB Jr Ballroom/Zoom
    Selling a City: How destination management organizations drive tourism and support hospitality
  • Women in Hospitality: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
    Zoom webinar
    ForWard Thinking
    Learn More

Wednesday February 28, 2024

  • Industry Expert Panel: 12:10-1 p.m.
    CUB Jr Ballroom/Zoom
    Innovation in the Beverage Industry
  • Granger Cobb Speaker: 3:30-5 p.m.
    CUB Jr Ballroom/Zoom
    Learn More

Thursday February 29, 2024

  • Burtenshaw Lecture: 1:30-2:45 p.m.
    CUB Auditorium/Zoom
    Learn more
  • Etiquette Dinner: 5-7 p.m.
    Todd 268

Friday March 1, 2024

  • SHBM Board Meeting

Research

Washington Sports Betting Poised for Rapid Growth

Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living Earns Mather Institute Promising Practices Award

Food Safety Crises at Smaller Restaurant Chains Can Hurt Giants

Kahlil Philander Featured in New CNBC Documentary on the Risky Financial Behaviors of Millennials and Gen Z

Layoffs Pushed Hospitality Workers to Leave Industry

Restaurant Customers Frown on Automatic Gratuities

Students Craft Plans to Increase Tri‑Cities Millennial Tourism

New ‘Experience Audit’ Guides Wineries in Boosting Sales for Re‑opening Amid COVID‑19

Americans Expect Safety Precautions in Hospitality Industry

WSU Survey Shows Americans Unsure About travel, Staying at Hotels

Business Professor Develops Guidelines for Wineries Returning to Business

Hospitality Professor Recognized for Chinese Tourism Research

Sharing is Caring

Message from the Director

Welcome to the School of Hospitality Business Management. Having the opportunity to become the director is an honor. The school has been one of the top programs and continues to push the envelope in quality research insights and the student experience. I am eager to enhance the SHBM’s reputation and assist in expanding our programs that will strengthen this legacy. Because WSU and SHBM provided a way for me to complete my Ph.D., the ability to give back and contribute to something larger than myself is deeply exciting and meaningful to me.

Using the mission, vision and goals of the Carson College of Business as a guide, my hope is to take our programs to new heights. I see our mission as being the “go to” institution for the study of hospitality business through our unique relationships with the hospitality industry and the strength of our faculty and students.

Our key goals will focus on ensuring the quality of our undergraduate programs, growing our research reputation and collaboration opportunities, and strategically differentiating our programs to meet the needs of students and industry.

We will accomplish this in part through greater integration of unique experiential learning opportunities such as our Crimson Confections project, industry immersion programs, project-based internships, and more access to study abroad activities.

You’ll discover, if you haven’t already, there is something special in the DNA of the WSU student population—they are just great people! This lends itself to an underlying feeling of “hospitality,” which in part explains the success of our graduates.

In the research arena, we will ensure SHBM faculty are seen as leaders in providing research-based insights to the hospitality, wine business, and senior living business sectors. We plan to address timely questions as well as provide a platform for top scholars and industry leaders in these fields to collaborate on workshops, panels, and presentations.

With a rapidly changing environment, we need to continually look at alternative ways to offer hospitality business education to fit the needs of students and industry.  The WSU HBM online degree program is consistently ranked among the top programs in the nation, thus, we will continue to innovate in this area for both degree programs and certificate programs such as our current certificates in wine business management, culinary arts, and senior living.

As we continue to expand the quality and reputation of the School of Hospitality Business Management, we need to attract and retain the best and brightest students, faculty, and staff. There are many opportunities for involvement—both big and small.  Our shared vision will be one where we are globally engaged, creating an amazing educational experience, developing outstanding business leaders and scholars, and producing impactful research.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrington, director

Director: Bob Harrington
rharrington@wsu.edu
509-372-7487
Fax: 509-335-7736
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Contact

The School of Hospitality Business Management
Todd Hall 342
PO Box 644736
Washington State University
Pullman, WA USA 99164-4736
shbm@wsu.edu
509-335-5766

Internships and recruiting: Amy Alonzo

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