Hospitality & Tourism Management Program Wins Top 2% Global Ranking

The Isenberg School of Management’s Hospitality & Tourism Management (HTM) program has been ranked within the top two percent in the world by global ranking organization Shanghai Ranking.

The Isenberg HTM program was ranked 10th in the U.S. and 20th globally out of 1,000 research universities in the Shanghai Ranking Academic Ranking of World Universities. Isenberg HTM claims distinction for the standard of its academics, the quality of its faculty, and the competitive advantage it provides its graduates. The numbers tell an undeniable story: 94% of 2022 HTM graduates seeking employment accepted a job within six months of graduation. The average starting salary for an Isenberg HTM graduate was $54,500 versus the industry average of $46,400.

“The scope of the hospitality and tourism industry is expanding far beyond its traditional bounds,” says HTM Department Chair Melissa Baker. “People still think HTM is simply managing hotels and restaurants. But hospitality and tourism management is the largest industry in the world—employing over 10% of the global workforce and accounting for over 10% of the global GDP. We are the leaders who create all of your ‘core memories,’ manage diverse global teams, and manage million-dollar budgets and billion-dollar assets.”

Baker emphasizes that the Isenberg HTM program takes pride in being named one of the best programs in the U.S. and the world, because the hospitality and tourism industry is global. “We are equally proud to offer one of the best and most affordable educations students can receive all within a top 50 business school. We focus on experiential education inside and outside of the classroom, creating influencers, leaders, and trailblazers. An education in HTM is one of the best you can receive, with endless career possibilities because hospitality is entrenched in virtually every business and in every venture.”

What was once merely focused on a neat and tidy category for hotel and restaurant management now branches into a broad range of verticals, requiring expanded expertise and skillsets. Graduates of the Isenberg HTM program continue to matriculate into a broad range of “traditional” management careers in lodging, food service, events, clubs, casinos, real estate, and theme parks. However, a major competitive advantage is the skillset Isenberg gives to students compared to many hospitality programs that are not part of a business school. These skills are highly sought after and transferable across many emerging industries such as finance, sales, information technology, revenue management, consulting, marketing, and much more. Isenberg HTM students and alumni have found internships and careers with organizations from Deloitte and Oracle to Hilton and Disney, and beyond.

The curriculum at Isenberg has kept pace with the industry’s evolution, says Baker, making sure that students graduate with a broad range of professional skills at the ready. She and other faculty members in the department see this as the natural outcome of an effective, professionally applicable education. Baker notes, “When you take the history of a program that has been leading in HTM education since 1938, combine it with the resources available in a top business school, and add to that the experiential learning and networking that access to a huge network of connected and committed alumni offers to students, it is quite clear why our graduates hit the ground running upon graduation and continue to lead the way in the world’s most dynamic and diverse industry.”

Beyond the numbers, Isenberg HTM grads have found immeasurable value in the relationships they’ve built with one another, their professors, and industry connections made through the program:

“HTM offers a lot more than just working in hotels and restaurants. You get the opportunity to work with customers, customer consulting, and customer psychology and I think that is really exciting.” - Georgia Davis, ‘25

“I didn’t want to go into just accounting or marketing because those are all a part of HTM… In the [HTM] industry, you are doing all the business aspects which really adds to my learning.” - Kayla Cunningham, ‘25

“Hospitality & Tourism is the biggest industry in the world and employs the most people. With that comes so many different opportunities and so many creative routes that you can take within the industry.” - Dustin Acocelli, ‘24