Admission Requirements

 The student must meet the requirements for admission to the Toulouse Graduate School. Included in these requirements are:

• a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university;
• an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 for the last 60 semester hours of course work or a 2.8 GPA on all undergraduate work;
• acceptable scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the GMAT must be submitted with application to the Graduate School (GRE or GMAT score must be less than 10 years old.);
• a demonstrated proficiency in oral and written English; and
• a minimum of 24 semester hours of undergraduate work in hospitality management or the equivalent; 12 of the 24 hours must be advanced. Students who do not meet the requirements must complete specified prerequisite courses in hospitality management during the first semester in the graduate program, earning a grade no lower than B.

In addition, to be considered for admission into the hospitality management program, students need to submit the following to the SMHM Graduate Programs Coordinator:

• three letters of recommendation from employers or teachers;
• a resume; and
• a professional essay that addresses the student’s motivation and perseverance toward educational goals, academic or professional honors, recognitions and awards, and a demonstrated commitment to the field of study.

Degree Requirements

The student must earn a minimum of 36 semester hours.

Minor (6 hours)

The thesis and non-thesis options require 6 hours in a minor area. A minor consists of course work taken in one subject area outside of hospitality management. Suggested minors are marketing, management, finance, education, computer education and cognitive systems, and decision sciences.

Thesis Option or Individual Research Option

The student will select one of the following options.

• Thesis Option: This option requires a minimum of 36 semester hours with 24 hours in the student’s major area, 6 hours of SMHM 5950 , Master’s Thesis. The minor must have a minimum of 6 hours in one subject prefix outside of hospitality management. The student must complete and defend the thesis successfully and submit it for approval.
• Individual Research Option: This option requires a minimum of 36 semester hours with 27 hours in the student’s major area (including research tools), 6 hours in the minor area (from a department outside of the School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management), and 3 hours of SMHM 5920 , Problem in Lieu of Thesis. The student must pass a written comprehensive exam upon successful completion of all course work.