The event coordinator who planned your favorite concert. The human resources director of the last hotel you visited. The caterer at your best friend’s wedding.
Though these professionals have vastly different day-to-days and may never meet, they are each an essential part of a $2.8 trillion industry in this country.
Hospitality and tourism is a steadily growing industry that provides more than 16 million jobs domestically, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. With its largest class graduating in 2024, the University of Georgia Hospitality and Food Industry Management program is also growing quickly.
From Hospitality Major to Hospitality Management
Niche, a popular college review website, recently ranked UGA’s program as the top hospitality management program among U.S. public universities, and it’s easy to understand why.
John Salazar is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
John Salazar is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He leads the Hospitality and Food Industry Management program. (Photo by Andrew Davis Tucker/UGA)
where he runs the program. Salazar says that, unlike a traditional business degree, the curriculum is entirely orchestrated from the hospitality lens.
“You’re not taking a course in law and human resources,” Salazar says. “You’re learning hospitality law, hospitality human resources, hospitality finance, and hospitality marketing. We are in the people business, so we have to talk about getting work done through people.”
Maya Dubos BSA ’24 graduated from the program in May. She credits the major’s specialized curriculum for her current success as an event coordinator at the Cobb Galleria Centre, where she helps manage everything from educator conferences to fundraisers to volleyball tournaments.
“I grew up in Cobb County seeing the big pink billboards for the Georgia Bridal Show, and to now be a person planning those events is a surreal moment for me,” she says.
You’re learning hospitality law, hospitality human resources, hospitality finance, and hospitality marketing. We are in the people business, so we have to talk about getting work done through people.” — John Salazar, head of UGA’s Hospitality and Food Industry Management program
Translating her classroom experience into professional opportunities has been a gamechanger.
“Between my internships at the Classic Center, my work with the Georgia Center, and the extensive learning I got from my degree, employers already knew I could do the job,” Dubos says. “Most people don’t have this experience at age 22. It’s just not something you can get through other programs.”
Katie Doak (right), banquet operations manager at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel, reviews work details with Amy Nguyen. (Photo by Peter Frey/UGA)
A Unique Collaboration
One of the aspects that makes the hospitality and tourism major so effective is its partnership with the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. There are more than 300 hospitality programs in the country, but the Georgia Center is one of the few fully functional conference centers run by a university, which means it can operate as a real-world learning lab for students.
For example, in 2023, students in a hospitality revenue management course analyzed data from the hotel to develop new strategies to drive more business to the Georgia Center. Another group of students studying hospitality human resources created an employee training program after working with the center’s human resources team.
The Georgia Center also provides front-of-house, back-of-house, and administrative experience for students in the program. Whether at the front desk, working in the catering department, or managing events, students directly experience decision-making processes in ways that go far beyond classroom learning.
Stacy Jones BSFCS ’93, EdD ’19, the director of the Georgia Center, says that she is always impressed by the quality and the passion of the students who come through the program.
“They approach their job with the desire to serve at the highest level,” she says. “They make our team better because of how excited they are about their future career. From the beginning of their UGA experience, students can partner with the Georgia Center to try out different pathways and benefit from the mentorship of professional staff.”
Classmates Angela Nguyen and Amy Nguyen (no relation) are two such students.
“Working with the Georgia Center has really set me up for success with future employers,” says Angela, a junior from Suwanee and a sales and event management intern at the Georgia Center. “I meet with actual clients and have the freedom to work on my own to help them make their event run smoothly.”
Angela says that the professors in her program and the staff at the Georgia Center have played a big part in why her experience in the program has been so positive. Everything about the hospitality and tourism major—from the classes to the internships to the study abroad opportunities—is designed to engage students in the learning process. Students can learn wine cultivation direct from the vines in Cortona, Italy, or tour agro-markets and farming communities in Havana, Cuba.
Students make our team better because of how excited they are about their future career. From the beginning of their UGA experience, students can partner with the Georgia Center to try out different pathways and benefit from the mentorship of professional staff.” — Stacy Jones, director of the Georgia Center
“I can’t wait to sign up every semester,” Angela says. “When I looked at the curriculum and got excited about classes for beverage tasting and floral design, that’s how I knew this major was the right place for me.”
Amy, from Norcross, is double majoring in hospitality and food industry management and management information systems. She works in the Georgia Center’s food and beverage department, and over the past two years, she has moved up the ranks from an intern to a trainer to a student assistant manager. Along with her everyday tasks, she works on projects to improve the hospitality program and trains other student workers.
“Hospitality isn’t just hotels and restaurants,” Amy says. “It’s a huge umbrella that includes event planning, human resources, tourism, and food and beverage, and this program lets you explore everything you want to do and more.”