Online MS in Hospitality and Tourism Management Degree for Florida Students

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Prepare for Hospitality Management Roles in Florida 100% Online

Although travel and tourism slowed during the pandemic, Florida has a sunny outlook for the future. Recent forecasts indicate tourism will propel job growth in Orlando, Florida.1 This growth could raise the need for professionals with hospitality management skills. Prepare for roles with hospitality employers throughout Florida by seeking the online Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM) program from Purdue University.

Purdue’s online HTM program enables students in Florida to:

  • Lead organizations in Florida by learning the latest hospitality management and leadership competencies.
  • Acquire cutting-edge human resources, operations management, marketing and finance skills.
  • Earn a hospitality and tourism management degree 100% online and prepare to stand out in Florida’s hospitality industry.
  • Drive business decisions through quantitative and data analysis, developing marketable talents for hospitality management careers.
  • Learn from leading hospitality management researchers, gaining real-world experience while seeking your HTM degree online.
  • Delve into advanced critical thinking and problem-solving techniques to address the challenges that Florida’s hospitality, travel and tourism organizations face.

Access Hospitality Management Careers Throughout Florida

When it comes to job growth in Florida, hospitality, travel and tourism employment is in the driver’s seat.2 As of December 2021, Florida’s leisure and hospitality hiring had grown 16% in a year.3 With Purdue’s online master’s degree, you can develop hospitality management expertise needed by organizations throughout Florida. Get ready to oversee a full-service hotel, manage a prestigious restaurant or move to the corporate side of hospitality management.

5 Hospitality Management Careers in Florida

  1. Hotel Manager ($108,329)4
  2. Meeting/Event Manager ($95,622)5
  3. Regional Restaurant Manager ($93,124)6
  4. Travel Manager ($92,854)7
  5. Resort General Manager ($87,703)8

Learn From Expert Hospitality Management Faculty

Seek your master’s degree online with Purdue to learn from award-winning faculty who can help you thrive in hospitality management. Tap into their expertise to expand your hospitality and tourism management knowledge for roles in cities throughout Florida, which will help accelerate your professional and personal growth.

With guidance from Purdue’s expert faculty, you can learn hospitality management practices that Florida employers expect you to know. At the same time, you can build knowledge that helps you develop a distinct leadership style, helping you stand out in this competitive job sector. Our faculty members also instill information literacy, research methods, finance and human resources skills, positioning you for career success after earning a degree online.

With our faculty’s support, you can set a new standard for hospitality and tourism management excellence with employers in Florida and across the United States. Get expert guidance to achieve your career goals and foster personal fulfillment as an HTM professional.

Our Curriculum Focuses on Expertise Florida Employers Need Most

Hands-on experience can make a difference as you seek hospitality management roles. With this in mind, Purdue’s MS in Hospitality and Tourism Management degree focuses on experiential, project-oriented courses, even as you study online. This approach helps you build the practical knowledge and skills Florida employers seek.

Throughout the hospitality and tourism management degree program, you’ll engage in courses that emphasize the business side of hospitality management. You can learn to harness statistics and strategic thinking to make hospitality, travel and tourism organizations more profitable, helping you stand out as a job candidate.

The curriculum is tailored for HTM managers with five years of professional experience and at least three years of management experience. You can prepare for the next phase of your career by learning among other experienced professionals.

The online master’s degree in hospitality and tourism management is comprised of 34 credits and is expected to take 24 months.

Course NumberCourse NameCredit Hours
HTM 51200Leadership in Hospitality and Tourism(3 credit hours)
HTM 57100Economics of Travel and Tourism(3 credit hours)
HTM 50300Business Statistics and Quantitative Analysis(3 credit hours)
HTM 54100Advanced Hospitality Accounting and Finance Systems(3 credit hours)
HTM 53600Advanced Service Management for Hospitality and Tourism(3 credit hours)
HTM 64200Advanced Personnel Systems in Restaurants, Hotels and Institutions(3 credit hours)
HTM 51100Hospitality Business Law and Risk Management(3 credit hours)
HTM 54200Strategic Revenue Management in the Hospitality Industry(3 credit hours)
HTM 53100Hospitality and Tourism Marketing 2(3 credit hours)
HTM 61200Management Challenge Analysis(3 credit hours)
HTM 59500Advanced Management Project(4 credit hours)

Please note: The course order for the online master’s in hospitality and tourism management degree is subject to change.

The Capstone Project
For graduation, you’ll complete a capstone project (HTM 595: Applied Management Project) based on a real-world HTM issue. In it, you’ll develop a project scope that may incorporate management, marketing, human resources and financial recommendations to address the issues presented.

Top 5 Travel and Tourism Cities in Florida

Nearly 31 million people visited Florida in the last quarter of 2021, more than the same timeframe in 2019.9 It’s clear that travel and tourism have returned to the Sunshine State, which is excellent news for your hospitality management career. Here are the top cities for travel and tourism in Florida10 — you could take your talents to South Beach and beyond after earning your master’s degree online:

  1. Orlando, Florida
  2. Miami, Florida
  3. Key West, Florida
  4. St. Augustine, Florida
  5. St. Petersburg, Florida

5 Top-Rated Hospitality Employers in Florida

It’s no surprise that Walt Disney World Resort is one of Florida’s largest employers.11 That said, numerous companies rely on professionals with hospitality management skills. Here are five top-rated hospitality employers in Florida.12 Keep them in mind after completing Purdue’s online HTM program:

  1. Marriott Vacations Worldwide (HQ: Orlando, Florida)
  2. Royal Caribbean Cruises (HQ: Miami, Florida)
  3. Southern Wine and Spirits (HQ: Miami, Florida)
  4. Carnival Cruise Line (HQ: Miami, Florida)
  5. PGA of America (HQ: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida)

16%

Increase in hospitality and tourism jobs from December 2020 to December 20213

$108,329

Average salary of hotel managers in Florida4

Top 5

In the U.S., Florida ranked No. 2 for tourists in 202013

Reasons to Seek Your Degree Online With Purdue

Purdue’s MS in Hospitality and Tourism Management degree supports the success of Florida’s next generation of hospitality management professionals — 100% online. Our outcomes are reflected in our top-level rankings, which include:

#8 Most Innovative
School in the U.S. — U.S. News & World Report 2022

#9 Top Public
University in the U.S. — The Wall Street Journal/
Times Higher Education 2021

#7 Best Value School in U.S. — The Wall Street Journal/
Times Higher Education 2020

Sources

  1. Orlando Business Journal, “Tourism expected to lead Orlando job growth in 2022,” January 2022, on the Internet at https://www.bizjournals.com.
  2. WESH 2 (NBC affiliate), “Jobs report: Travel industry driving employment gains in Florida,” November 2021, on the Internet at https://www.wesh.com.
  3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Databases, Tables & Calculators by Subject: State and Area Employment, Hours, and Earnings (Florida), March 2022, on the Internet at https://data.bls.gov.
  4. Salary.com, “Hotel Manager Salary in Florida,” February 2022, on the Internet at https://www.salary.com.
  5. Salary.com, “Meeting/Event Manager Salary in Florida,” February 2022, on the Internet at https://www.salary.com.
  6. Salary.com, “Regional Restaurant Manager Salary in Florida,” February 2022, on the Internet at https://www.salary.com.
  7. Salary.com, “Travel Manager Salary in Florida,” February 2022, on the Internet at https://www.salary.com.
  8. Salary.com, “Resort General Manager Salary in Florida,” February 2022, on the Internet at https://www.salary.com.
  9. Bloomberg, “Florida Tourism Tops Pre-Pandemic Levels,” February 2022, on the Internet at https://www.bloomberg.com.
  10. USA Today, “The Top Cities for Tourism in Florida,” March 2018, on the Internet at https://traveltips.usatoday.com.
  11. Orlando Business Journey, “Central Florida Employers,” September 2021, on the Internet at https://www.bizjournals.com.
  12. Zippia, “100 Best Hospitality Companies to Work for in Florida,” 2019, on the Internet at https://www.zippia.com.
  13. Vivid Maps, “The Most Visited States In The United States,” September 2020, on the Internet at https://vividmaps.com.