BS in Business Emphasis Hospitality and Tourism Management

The only AACSB & ACPHA accredited hospitality program in Lebanon.

The Hospitality and Tourism industry has always been one of Lebanon’s most prominent category in the services sector. The industry has witnessed fast growth in Lebanon, the region and around the world. This would explain why the BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management degree is in demand and is an excellent basis for professional growth. 

This rigorous program covers all aspects of the hospitality and tourism industry, while laying the foundations for business knowledge, and actively prepares students to be leaders in a global dynamic workplace, especially through hands-on application. 

Top-quality education will be provided through the use of various educational technologies and hands-on application, while ensuring that students learn relevant materials to prepare them for leadership positions in the marketplace. 

Program Mission and Learning Outcomes

The BS in Business Emphasis Hospitality and Tourism Management aims at developing ethically and socially responsible professionals for the hospitality and tourism industry in Lebanon and the region through emphasizing the theoretical aspect of coursework and experiential learning, as well as student civic and community engagement.

Upon completion of the degree requirements, the graduate will be able to:

PLO1.Identify and apply the knowledge and skills necessary for hospitality and tourism operations.

PLO2. Develop and integrate a core set of business skills necessary to successfully operate a hospitality and tourism organization.

PLO3.Demonstrate competence in the communication skills necessary for hospitality and tourism management.

PLO4.Formulate business decisions in hospitality and tourism management.

PLO5.Evaluate leadership principles necessary in the diverse and global hospitality and tourism industry.

Program Student Profile

The hospitality and tourism industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world (10% of the world’s GDP) and employing around 8% of the global workforce (UNWTO, 2015). In Lebanon, the hospitality and tourism industry currently accounts for 21.1% of Lebanon’s GDP and provides abundant employment opportunities in various types of tourism activities. 

This program’s graduates are highly employable and sought-after in the job market. Upon completion, the graduate may go on to work in:

• Hotels and Resorts
• Restaurants/Nightlife
• Catering
• Airlines
• Travel Agencies 
• Conference and Event Planning
• Leisure and Recreation
• Tourism Attractions
• Tourist Offices 
• Consulting

Admissions

Admission to any of the undergraduate programs offered at the Adnan Kassar School of Business follows the LAU general undergraduate requirements. 

According to the LAU Admissions Office, all undergraduate applicants must submit:

• One recent passport-size photos (taken within the past six months).
• A clear photocopy of your identity card or passport.
• Proof of English proficiency via your official TOEFL, EEE, or SAT I writing section, the IELTS  or the ACT Writing section. The IELTS and the ACT Writing are effective Fall 2016.
• Your official SAT I (math, critical reading, and writing) scores or the ACT effective Fall 2016.
• Your certified official secondary school certificate. If it is not available yet, submit it to the Admissions Office on the campus of your choice as soon as it becomes available. Lebanese students with non-Lebanese diplomas must also submit the Equivalence of Lebanese Baccalaureate from the Ministry of Education.
• Official transcript from schools you attended in the last three years. If your grades from the last year or semester are not available when you apply, they should be sent as soon as they are available. If you have studied one year at university, you have to secure the grades of your last two years at school. Transcripts should be sent to the Admissions Office on the campus of your choice in a sealed and stamped envelope.

Lebanese students who graduated from a non-Lebanese program must submit:

• The equivalence to the Lebanese baccalaureate from the Lebanese Ministry of Education.

Note: If this document is not available when you submit your application, you may submit it as soon as it is available.

Students transferring from another university must submit:

• Official transcripts of your grades from your current university along with a course catalog. Undeclared transcripts cannot be accepted after enrollment.
• Please read about the requirements for transfer applicants, as you may need to provide other documentation depending on your particular case.

Program Requirements (until Summer 2019)

To obtain the BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management degree, the student should complete a total of 92 credits composed of:

• Business Core Requirements (18 credits)
• Hospitality & Tourism Core Requirements (25 credits)
• Hospitality & Tourism Electives (9 credits)
• Liberal Arts Curriculum LAC(34 credits)
• Free Electives (6 credis)

Our faculty have designed a curriculum that provides a solid foundation embedded in the hospitality and tourism management core courses, broad choices of electives that invite students to explore their specific interests in hospitality and tourism management, along with required business courses, to instill a strong foundation in business, and 6 credits of free elective courses.

Business Core Requirements (18 credits)

Hospitality & Tourism Core Requirements (25 credits)

Hospitality & Tourism Major Elective (9 credits) 

Courses (until Summer 2019)

HOM202 Hospitality and Tourism Management[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course explores all aspects of the travel and tourism; lodging; foodservice; meetings, conventions expositions; leisure and recreation. Students are offered information on the array of careers available in the various segments of the hospitality industry.
Equivalence with old program: HOM201 and/or HOM211.

HOM203 Food and Beverage Concept Development[3-0, 3 cr.]

The students are exposed to a broad range of food and beverage concepts. Emphasis is given to the planning and operations of a Restaurant or Foodservice Operation. Areas such as menu planning and forecasting, food production systems equipment, food service and delivery systems, cost control (food & labor) and profit and loss statements are studied.
Equivalence with old program: HOM204.

HOM205 Lodging Management and Operations[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course is designed to provide the students with a general understanding of the dynamics of the lodging industry, and specifically the operations and management of today’s modern hotels.
Equivalence with old program: HOM304.

HOM215 Front Office Operations[1-0, 1 cr.]

Front Office Operations offers students the opportunity to acquire necessary knowledge and skills to provide the front desk services. Emphasis is placed on the interrelated elements of front desk operations. Topics include communications and human relations, front office operations, reservation systems and procedures, determining room availability and rates, registration procedures, cashier and billing procedures, and night audit procedures.
Prerequisites: HOM205

HOM217 Housekeeping Management and Operations[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course covers practical and theoretical approaches with relations to housekeeping procedures. Students will acquire the following concepts: functions of room management, room inventory and assets, safe, sanitary and hygienic room environment, as well as flow of work between the department and their key sub-units. 

HOM231 Wine, Spirits and Cigars[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course studies the appreciation of wine, spirits and cigars. This is a course designed to teach students about the quality, origin, characteristic, vintage and all other personalities that make a good wine superior.

HOM235 Franchising in the Hospitality Industry[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course introduces students to franchising as a means of business. The course emphasizes on the different aspects of hospitality franchising including history and development, franchisee-franchisor relationship, and legal aspects of franchising. 

HOM239 Business Etiquette and Protocol[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course will allow the students to learn the importance of etiquette in business and social settings, and the common courtesies in professional life, personal life, formalities, entertaining and entertainments, international, celebration and ceremonies and other situations. 

HOM250 Food Preparation I[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course introduces students to the principles and fundamentals of basic cutting and cooking techniques, including meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, baking and pastry. Learned concepts and techniques will be demonstrated and practiced in a laboratory kitchen.

HOM254 Baking, Pastry and Chocolate[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course introduces students to baking, pastry and chocolate, with special emphasis on yeast bread, shorteners, sweetners, leaveners, cakes and batters, pastry dough, creams and mousses, glazes and frozen desserts. 

HOM302 Hospitality Purchasing[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course acquaints students with the classifications/functions of the various food markets. It helps students understand the relationship between food specifications and purchasing methods, while enhancing students’ organizational skills in the administration of a successful purchasing department. The course involves the discussion of such concepts as purchasing methods, negotiations, market evaluation and regulations.

HOM306 Quantity Food Production/Catering[3-0, 3 cr.]

Using the functions of management, this course applies the principles of food production and cafeteria service in quantity for institutions, and commercial food service operations. This capstone food and beverage management course brings together food production, cost control, personnel, and organizational management, while providing students with an opportunity to exercise their ability and creativity in managing a catered event.

HOM321 Tourism Economic and Cultural Impact[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course covers the role of the economic and cultural impact of tourism in development and planning, as well as the nature of and the priorities given to tourism and tourism policies at national scales. This course presents important quantitative methods used by tourism planners, researchers and consultants.
Prerequisite: HOM202.

(Students who are pursuing a minor in Hospitality could substitute HOM202 with MGT201)

HOM323 System of Accounts in the Hospitality Industry[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course covers financial record keeping and reporting, utilizing uniform systems of accounts for hotels, restaurants, and clubs, with emphasis on payroll, statement analysis, and computer application.
Prerequisites: ACC203.

HOM324 Convention and Service Management[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course is an overview of the convention industry. It includes meetings, trade shows, conferences, and incentive travel. The management of convention centers and its relationship with local government is also discussed. The curse will focus on the operational management of trade shows, including design, construction, and risk management, as applied to project financing, fire protection, customer and workplace safety, and OSHA regulations.
Prerequisite: HOM202.

HOM444 Distribution Channels and Social Media[3-0, 3 cr.]

This interdisciplinary course examines the use, impact, and facilitation of social media in the travel and tourism industry.  C2C, C2B, and B2C distribution channels in the various sectors of the tourism industry are analyzed in terms of social media distribution channel development and re-development. Development, functioning, evaluation, and management of social media from the supplier side are explored. The impacts and management of user-generated social media are assessed from consumer and supplier vantage points. Supplier and consumer use of direct and indirect distribution channels is scrutinized using case studies, applied research, experiential activities and readings. 

HOM455 Hospitality Revenue Management[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course provides a detailed examination of the hands-on skills revenue managers must know to efficiently manage their inventories and prices. In addition to developing hands-on skills, the course includes a substantial amount of revenue management (RM) related theories to understand the techniques and concepts underlying RM. 

HOM477 Hospitality Strategic Management[3-0, 3 cr.]

The students will learn to develop a value-adding perspective to the process of strategic management. Students will evaluate the strategy of a hospitality and tourism business through its competitive methods, environmental analysis, resource allocation, core competencies and strategic investments.
Prerequisites: Senior standing.

HOM488 Seminar in Hospitality and Tourism[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course covers specific timely issues of Restaurants, Hotels, Institutions (RHI) not covered in detail in the curriculum. This course may be substituted for another RHI course, given the consent of the program advisor.

HOM499 Senior Study Internship in RHI [0 cr.] [pass or fail]

This course is a supervised work-study program in a hotel. Students must enroll in this course in their junior year, for a total of 550 hours of work practice. Students are expected to interview for positions in facilities, approved by an internship officer.
Prerequisites: HOM202, HOM203, HOM205, HOM217, Junior standing

Program Requirements (as of Fall 2019)

To obtain the BS in Business Emphasis Hospitality and Tourism Management degree, the student should complete a total of 92 credits composed of:

• Business Core Requirements (18 credits)
• Hospitality & Tourism Core Requirements (28 credits)
• Hospitality & Tourism Electives (9 credits)
• Liberal Arts Curriculum LAC(34 credits)
• Free Electives (7 credits)

Business Core Requirements (18 credits)

Hospitality & Tourism Core Requirements (28 credits)

Hospitality & Tourism Major Elective (9 credits) 

Courses (as of Fall 2019)

HOM202 Hospitality and Tourism Management[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course explores all aspects of the travel and tourism; lodging; foodservice; meetings, conventions expositions; leisure and recreation. Students are offered information on the array of careers available in the various segments of the hospitality industry.
Equivalence with old program: HOM201 and/or HOM211.

HOM203 Food and Beverage Concept Development[3-0, 3 cr.]

The students are exposed to a broad range of food and beverage concepts. Emphasis is given to the planning and operations of a Restaurant or Foodservice Operation. Areas such as menu planning and forecasting, food production systems equipment, food service and delivery systems, cost control (food & labor) and profit and loss statements are studied.
Equivalence with old program: HOM204.

HOM205 Lodging Management and Operations[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course is designed to provide the students with a general understanding of the dynamics of the lodging industry, and specifically the operations and management of today’s modern hotels.
Equivalence with old program: HOM304.

HOM215 Front Office Operations[1-0, 1 cr.]

Front Office Operations offers students the opportunity to acquire necessary knowledge and skills to provide the front desk services. Emphasis is placed on the interrelated elements of front desk operations. Topics include communications and human relations, front office operations, reservation systems and procedures, determining room availability and rates, registration procedures, cashier and billing procedures, and night audit procedures.

HOM217 Housekeeping Management and Operations[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course covers practical and theoretical approaches with relations to housekeeping procedures. Students will acquire the following concepts: functions of room management, room inventory and assets, safe, sanitary and hygienic room environment, as well as flow of work between the department and their key sub-units. 

HOM231 Wine, Spirits and Cigars[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course studies the appreciation of wine, spirits and cigars. This is a course designed to teach students about the quality, origin, characteristic, vintage and all other personalities that make a good wine superior.

HOM235 Franchising in the Hospitality Industry[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course introduces students to franchising as a means of business. The course emphasizes on the different aspects of hospitality franchising including history and development, franchisee-franchisor relationship, and legal aspects of franchising. 

HOM239 Business Etiquette and Protocol[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course will allow the students to learn the importance of etiquette in business and social settings, and the common courtesies in professional life, personal life, formalities, entertaining and entertainments, international, celebration and ceremonies and other situations. 

HOM250 Food Preparation I[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course introduces students to the principles and fundamentals of basic cutting and cooking techniques, including meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, baking, and pastries. It also equips students with the fundamental hygiene, sanitation, and safety practices pertaining to the kitchen. Learned concepts and techniques will be demonstrated and practiced in a laboratory kitchen.

HOM251 Food Preparation II

In this course students will develop their knowledge of cooking principles and methods and will learn advanced techniques appropriate to the preparation of appetizers, meats, fish and seafood, and poultry and game as well as international cuisine and healthy menus and pastries.

HOM254 Baking, Pastry and Chocolate[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course introduces students to baking, pastry and chocolate, with special emphasis on yeast bread, shorteners, sweetners, leaveners, cakes and batters, pastry dough, creams and mousses, glazes and frozen desserts. 

HOM302 Hospitality Purchasing[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course acquaints students with the classifications/functions of the various food markets. It helps students understand the relationship between food specifications and purchasing methods, while enhancing students’ organizational skills in the administration of a successful purchasing department. The course involves the discussion of such concepts as purchasing methods, negotiations, market evaluation and regulations.

HOM306 Quantity Food Production/Catering[3-0, 3 cr.]

Using the functions of management, this course applies the principles of food production and cafeteria service in quantity for institutions, and commercial food service operations. This capstone food and beverage management course brings together food production, cost control, personnel, and organizational management, while providing students with an opportunity to exercise their ability and creativity in managing a catered event.

HOM307 Hospitality Marketing[3–0, 3 cr.]

This course focuses on the application of marketing principles to the hospitality industry. It uncovers the application of basic marketing concepts and research methods as well as design of marketing strategies for a hospitality business, offering students an understanding of operations and marketing concepts within the hospitality industry, covering services, including hospitality services, the human element (both employees and customers), and personal relationships. The course also focuses on the ever-increasing demand of customers for service quality, as well as other challenges facing hospitality establishments today including intense competition, globalization, and technological innovation.

HOM321 Tourism Economic and Cultural Impact[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course covers the role of the economic and cultural impact of tourism in development and planning, as well as the nature of and the priorities given to tourism and tourism policies at national scales. This course presents important quantitative methods used by tourism planners, researchers and consultants.

HOM323 System of Accounts in the Hospitality Industry[1-0, 1 cr.]

This course covers financial record keeping and reporting, utilizing uniform systems of accounts for hotels, restaurants, and clubs, with emphasis on payroll, statement analysis, and computer application.
Prerequisites: ACC203.

HOM324 Event Management[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course gives students an overview of the specialized field of event management in the context of the tourism industry. It aims to familiarize students with the management techniques and strategies required to successfully plan, promote, implement, and evaluate various events. By the end of this course, students will have learned how to plan and run successful events, from conception through execution.

HOM444 Distribution Channels and Social Media[3-0, 3 cr.]

This interdisciplinary course examines the use, impact, and facilitation of social media in the travel and tourism industry.  C2C, C2B, and B2C distribution channels in the various sectors of the tourism industry are analyzed in terms of social media distribution channel development and re-development. Development, functioning, evaluation, and management of social media from the supplier side are explored. The impacts and management of user-generated social media are assessed from consumer and supplier vantage points. Supplier and consumer use of direct and indirect distribution channels is scrutinized using case studies, applied research, experiential activities and readings. 

HOM455 Hospitality Revenue Management[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course provides a detailed examination of the hands-on skills revenue managers must know to efficiently manage their inventories and prices. In addition to developing hands-on skills, the course includes a substantial amount of revenue management (RM) related theories to understand the techniques and concepts underlying RM.
Prerequisite: Junior standing.

HOM477 Hospitality Strategic Management[3-0, 3 cr.]

The students will learn to develop a value-adding perspective to the process of strategic management. Students will evaluate the strategy of a hospitality and tourism business through its competitive methods, environmental analysis, resource allocation, core competencies and strategic investments.
Prerequisites: Senior standing.

HOM488 Seminar in Hospitality and Tourism[3-0, 3 cr.]

This course covers specific timely issues of Restaurants, Hotels, Institutions (RHI) not covered in detail in the curriculum. This course may be substituted for another RHI course, given the consent of the program advisor.

HOM499 Senior Study Internship in RHI [0 cr.] [pass or fail]

This course is a supervised work-study program in a hotel. Students must enroll in this course in their junior year, for a total of 550 hours of work practice. Students are expected to interview for positions in facilities, approved by an internship officer.
Prerequisites: HOM202, HOM203, HOM205, HOM217, Junior standing