Major in Hospitality Management
The program in hospitality management was established in 1947 in recognition of the demand for hotel and restaurant industry executives, with the objective of providing the kind of education tomorrow's hospitality manager will need. The curriculum is designed so that students must meet high standards of achievement in general education and must acquire not only the specialized knowledge needed for their hospitality industry careers, but also understand the basic functions, objectives, and tools of management that are common to executive roles.
The Dedman School of Hospitality is an independent, industry-specific school. It is located in the University Center Building B, which provides for the specialized academic/training objectives established by the school. In addition to classrooms, this state-of-the-art facility provides hospitality students with teaching kitchens, a technology center, a publication resource center, and a placement center. The building also contains an affiliated 35,000 square-foot, professionally managed city club that provides hospitality students with real-world food and beverage experience in elegant surroundings.
One of the most rewarding benefits of an education in hospitality management at
Florida State University is that through the years a personal, intimate, congenial climate, in which students may develop to their fullest potential, has remained a chief attraction. All of the school's energies and resources are devoted exclusively to preparing each student for a professional career.
The Dedman School of Hospitality is nationally and internationally recognized as one of the best. Many firms visit the school each year to interview students for entry-level management positions. Graduates of the program enjoy top managerial and ownership positions in hotels, resorts, restaurants, clubs, and other facets of the hospitality and golf industries. The requirement of practical, on-the-job experience, where the student applies classroom knowledge to the workplace, prepares the Dedman School of Hospitality graduate for the operational challenges of industry.
Undergraduate Courses
HFT 1000. Introduction to Hospitality and Tourism (3). This course offers an introductory review of the segments, disciplines, career opportunities, and current issues in the hospitality industry.
HFT 1350. Golf for Business and Life (1). (S/U grade only.) This course is designed for students who have never experienced the game of golf. Students learn the basics of the game in a casual, fun environment.
HFT 1382. Professional Golf Management Orientation (1). This course covers all the facets of the Professional Golf Management major and is designed to introduce and guide students through the Florida State, Dedman School of Hospitality, and PGM requirements. Students begin with developing a Road Map of their four-and-a-half-year curriculum, including academic advising from the Dedman School.
HFT 2001. Hospitality Careers (1). This course provides an introduction to the many segments and career paths available in the hospitality industry, including hotels, resorts, restaurants, clubs, senior living, and attractions. The course includes site visits to on going operations.
HFT 2352. Introduction to Professional Golf Management (1). Prerequisite: HFT 1382. This course focuses on preparing students for the management of golf operations. For professional golf management majors only.
HFT 2716. International Travel and Culture (3). This course introduces students to contemporary tourism through a geographical and multicultural perspective of worldwide travel. The course emphasizes the most popular travel destinations and provides information about the physical and cultural characteristics of major cities, states, and countries. The course offers basic facts about travel destinations, the environment, and the people of many regions around the world, and it presents the nature of cultural diversity reflecting both Western and non-Western cultures with special emphasis on ethnic background, race, religion, values, tradition, language, material goods, and inter-relationships among local cultures.
HFT 2890. International Food and Culture (3).This course explores the world's cuisines with a focus on the history of culinary arts, indigenous ingredients, customs, as well as various cooking methods and terminology from places such as Latin and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Scandinavia, India, and Asia.
HFT 3221. Human Resource Management in Hospitality Operations (3). This course offers an analysis of human-resource issues in the hospitality industry such as staffing, training, appraisal, wage and hour administration, discrimination, harassment, and other governmental issues.
HFT 3240. Managing Service Organizations (3). An in-depth examination of the concept of service and the linkages of the three most important functional areas of the firm: marketing, operations, and human resources. The course also addresses the concept of quality.
HFT 3263. Restaurant Operations (3). Prerequisite: HFT 3806. This course is an introduction to basic food and beverage management concepts. Topics covered include: food and beverage sanitation; production and service equipment; menu planning and costing; and nutrition and safety.
HFT 3270. Resort Operations (3). This course consists of analysis and discussion of lodging specifics, retail and commercial leasing, community relations, amenities and recreation, as well as real-estate sales in relation to resort operations management.
HFT 3272. Senior Services Management (3). The planning, development, operation, and management of retirement facilities. Explores the various types of senior living facilities, including multi-level, independent, assisted living, and skilled-nursing care centers.
HFT 3275. Resort Development (3). This course offers contemporary knowledge and understanding of concepts, challenges, and trends associated with resort development to include an in-depth examination of the process of resort development from property site identification, land acquisition, zoning and permitting, environmental impact statements (EIS), layout and design issues, construction processes, pre-opening, public relations and marketing, as well as many other issues.
HFT 3277. Club Management (3). The development and management of clubs, including golf course operations, organizational and financial structure, membership and guest relations, design, and other amenities.
HFT 3353. Intermediate Professional Golf Management (1). Prerequisite: HFT 2352. This course focuses on developing intermediate level skills necessary for management of golf operations. For professional golf management majors only.
HFT 3354. Agronomy for Golf Course Management (3). An overview of horticultural and agronomic practices needed by golf course managers in the hospitality industry.
HFT 3355. Advanced Professional Golf Management (1). Prerequisite: HFT 3353. This course focuses on advanced skills that prepare students for the management of golf operations. For professional golf management majors only.
HFT 3424. Cost Control Systems in Hospitality Operations (3). Prerequisites: ACG 2021 and ECO2023. A detailed analysis of food, beverage, labor, and cash controls. In-depth purchasing component including furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E). Computer usage in labor control, cost analysis, and marketing mix analysis. A systems approach to management of quality through the design of appropriate controls.
HFT 3519. Convention Services and Event Management (3). This course provides a comprehensive approach to managing, marketing, and planning conventions, special events, and conferences.
HFT 3602. Ethics and Service Leadership (3). This course focuses on ethics and service leadership and how it intersects areas of life. Students read and discuss both primary and secondary sources and critically reflect on those sources in an effort to understand questions about the meaning and purpose of work and their implications for business leadership and decision making.
HFT 3603. Law for Hospitality Operations (3). This course covers basic concepts of law that apply to the hospitality industry. The course focuses on legal definitions, innkeeper-guest relationships, liability, and other legal issues.
HFT 3700. Tourism Management and the Environment (3). Tourism management, organization, and development. Emphasis on economic and environmental issues confronting the industry such as balancing use and preservation. Open to non majors.
HFT 3806. Introduction to Food and Beverage Management (3). Prerequisite: HFT1000. This course is an overview of the food and beverage industry with regard to history, production theories, and types of food and beverage retail outlets. Concentration on layout of a variety of production kitchens, storage (refrigeration, dry, frozen, and chemical), workflow, and basic production techniques is integral to the course. Lab time depends on the topic and activity planned for the week.
HFT 3941r. Management Internship (1–12). (S/U grade only.) Prerequisite: Instructor permission and HFT1000. This internship is designed for Dedman School of Hospitality students to gain real world experience in the business field though on-the-job practice. Students work under the direction of an approved industry professional and the internship director. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours.
HFT 3949r. Cooperative Education Work Experience (0). (S/U grade only.) May be repeated.
HFT 4205. Conversational Spanish for Hospitality Managers (3). Prerequisite: Senior standing. This international culture and conversation places emphasis on Spanish and was designed primarily for Hospitality leaders. The course allows students to apply their Spanish-language skills to increase fluency in everyday hospitality-related situations. The course also focuses on the customs and cultural characteristics of the people from Spain as well as from Central and South America. This course is not recommended for fluent Spanish speakers.
HFT 4224. Managerial Behavior in Hospitality Operations (3). Prerequisite: Graduating senior standing. This course covers the analysis and development of interpersonal management skills, including leadership, ethics, employee and guest relations, as well as team building.
HFT 4253. Lodging and Luxury Hotel Management (3). This course provides a study of hotel, motel, resort, and other types of lodging operations, including benchmarking, department organization and management, operations, and systems. Emphasis is on rooms, delivering exceptional service, computer usage in lodging properties, and quality control issues.
HFT 4290. Luxury Hotel & Resorts (1). Prerequisite: HFT 3806. This course benchmarks the processes of 5-star and 4-star hotels and resorts in order to identify how they deliver exceptional service in their operations.
HFT 4334. Advanced Club Management (3). Prerequisites: HFT 3277. This course is designed to provide students with high-level private club management techniques relevant to today's challenging business environment.
HFT 4471. Managing Revenues and Expenses (3). Prerequisites: HFT 3806 and HFT 3424.This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of financial analysis so that decisions within the operation can be evaluated. Techniques used in maximizing revenues, controlling costs, and analyzing financial statements, productivity, and ratios are explored within the food and beverage, hotel, and club industries. Emphasis is placed on effective revenue-management techniques.
HFT 4502. Hospitality Services Marketing and Research (3). Applications of strategic market research and product/service positioning in the hospitality industry. Emphasis on competitive marketing strategies including sales, advertising, and promotions. Discussion of unique features of hospitality marketing, market research/analysis, ethics, and quality.
HFT 4802. Catering Management (3). Prerequisite: HFT 3806. This course covers management methods and concepts utilized in the administration of food and beverage functions.
HFT 4803. Advanced Food and Beverage Management (3). Prerequisite: HFT 3806. This course uses the University Center Club (ClubCorp. Inc.) to provide a study of advanced food-and-beverage-establishment management. Students work with live operation managers to design and manage scheduling, menus, profit and loss statements, labor, events, budgets, and overall corporate goal expectations. Students also experience human resource management, safety and security, and facility maintenance. Students are assigned to individually managed events under the supervision of events managers.
HFT 4866. Wine and Culture (3). An introduction to basic wine knowledge that, together with wine tasting, enhances student understanding and appreciation of wine and its place in our culture and heritage. Restricted to students twenty-one years of age and older. May not be taken as a S/U course.
HFT 4905r. Directed Individual Study (1–3). May be repeated up to five times.
HFT 4930r. Special Topics in Hospitality Administration (1–3). In-depth study of current topics in hospitality administration. May be repeated to a maximum of twelve semester hours when topics change.
HFT 4941. Field Study in Hospitality Administration (0). (S/U grade only.) 1,000 hours of satisfactory, acceptable work experience in the hospitality industry. Discussion expands and integrates the work experience to enhance management decision-making skills. Report and supervisors' evaluation required. Students should register for this class the semester in which they plan to graduate.
HFT 4970r. Honors Thesis (1–6). Prerequisite: Admission to the honors program. May be repeated to a maximum of nine semester hours. Six semester hours of thesis are required to complete honors in the major.
