If you are looking for a fast-paced, people-centered career with opportunities for growth and solid salary options, hospitality management may be the right choice for you. The hospitality management industry is growing much faster than the general economy, so graduates of programs in the field are likely to find a broad range of positions available to them.
In order to find the cheapest online hospitality management programs, there are a few factors you must consider. In this article, we’ll examine whether this degree is worth it and why you might want to take it online rather than on campus.
How Much Do Hospitality Management Degree Programs Usually Cost?
The cost of a hospitality management program will vary significantly from school to school. Most schools have a credit hour-based tuition system, where earning a bachelor’s degree requires completing about 120 credit hours.
Two primary factors play a significant role in what you pay: first, whether you choose a private or public institution, and second, whether you select a school in the state where you live or in a different state.
Public institutions tend to be subsidized by local, state, and federal government funding and so can afford to charge less for tuition. According to U.S. News & World Report, undergraduate tuition and fees at public institutions averaged $10,338 for in-state students in 2021-22, while private school students paid a substantially higher $38,185. However, this can be misleading because private college students are frequently offered substantial financial aid packages, so if you are set on attending a private school, don’t assume it will be out of your reach financially.
What about in-state vs. out-of-state tuition? Earning your degree online opens your choices up to any institution in the U.S., but there are benefits to choosing a school that is in your state of residence. For example, undergraduate tuition and fees for the hospitality management program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro come to $7,498 a year for North Carolina residents in 2022. However, out-of-state students wishing to attend this highly-rated program pay $22,657 a year in tuition and fees. Your own costs may vary if you take advantage of financial aid opportunities, but the advantage is with students who call North Carolina home.
In addition to tuition, most schools charge additional fees, including technology fees, if you are taking your courses online. So, to get a full picture of your costs, you’ll need to add together tuition and additional fees. Check out the website of any school you are interested in to see their fees. These should be listed on the financial aid page. If not, ask an admissions counselor to give you a complete picture of what you would be paying.
Is This Degree Worth It?
If you are wondering whether a degree in hospitality management is worth it, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), many positions in this sector are growing much faster than the economy as a whole.
Consider lodging managers, for example, who ensure guests have a pleasant experience at hotels and other facilities. BLS data shows that the need for people who can do this work is growing at a rate of 18 percent, much faster than average, with nearly 10,000 new professionals needed by 2031. The median pay for a lodging manager is $59,430 a year, but a qualified manager can make much more over time, with the top ten percent earning six-figure salaries.
Note that although some hospitality management jobs are open to those with a high school diploma, earning an undergraduate, or even a graduate, degree is imperative to advance in the field. Employers are more likely to place you in higher-level positions, such as moving you from front-end manager to general manager, if you have your bachelor’s degree.
Should You Earn Your Degree Online?
There are both advantages and challenges to earning your degree online. One of the significant advantages is the increased flexibility of online courses, especially if they are taught asynchronously, meaning you can attend the classes when it is convenient for you. This makes online education a good choice for those who work full-time or have other duties, such as family commitments.
The lack of a commute is another benefit. You will save money on gas and parking fees, as well as time that would be spent driving to and from classes several times a week. You have the flexibility to attend your classes from any location of your choice, be it your home office, dining room table, or a nearby coffee shop. As long as you can get an internet signal, you should be able to sign on for your coursework.
A factor that can be either an advantage or a disadvantage is that online classes are best taken by those with a strong drive to earn their degree and a high level of motivation. After all, you will not have a professor standing over you in class to ensure that you’re doing your work. You might prefer an on-campus program if you learn through regular encouragement and support from your professors and peers.
You may also miss out on some of the classic “college experiences,” such as attending school sporting events or grabbing coffee with your peers after class. If those non-class experiences are important to you, then a more traditional program might be the right choice.
This is not to say you won’t be able to interact with others. Professors in online programs generally have virtual office hours and are happy to help motivated students succeed in their classes. And although it may be somewhat more challenging to connect with your fellow students, it is possible to work together on group projects or initiate group study sessions when necessary through the use of your program’s technology.
In the end, only you can determine if you are the sort of person who will thrive in an online hospitality management program. If you find the right program at a reasonable cost, you will likely succeed in your classes and begin a rewarding professional career.
Our Research
This list features some of the country’s cheapest online hospitality management degree programs. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution, either public or private, with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions.
We evaluated each school’s program on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation. Then, we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
Next, we compared this comprehensive list of the cheapest online hospitality management degree programs to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications, such as U.S. News & World Report, to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
The 50 Cheapest Online Hospitality Management Degree Programs
