The Hospitality and Tourism Management Concentration
Philosophy and Purpose
The purpose of the Ph.D. Concentration in Hospitality and Tourism Management is to prepare candidates for academic careers in Hospitality and Tourism. The program is designed with a focus on the development of strong research skills enabling graduates to conduct and publish independent, original scholarly research with competence and confidence at the top hospitality and tourism programs in the U.S. and abroad. The program will also provide candidates the necessary content knowledge (in management and related business functional areas) to excel in university teaching in their areas of interest.
The Hospitality and Tourism Management Department is one of six departments within the Isenberg School of Management, and as such is a uniquely competitive, rigorous program for studying the business of hospitality and tourism. The primary focus of doctoral candidates is on making scholarly contributions to the discipline. It is a four year program and requires a full time effort in residence. Candidates serve as Research Assistants during a portion of the program and as Teaching Assistants other semesters.
Degree Requirements
The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 45 credits coursework plus 18 credits of dissertation credits for a total of 63 credits. In addition, doctoral candidates must pass qualifying examinations during their second year and a comprehensive exam after completion of the coursework and further preparation. The curriculum includes three HTM Core course requirements (9 credits). The Tourism Theory course (SCH MGT 883) introduces paradigmatic organization of the field and as such, provides the framework for all areas of hospitality. It includes reviews and critiques of scholarly research on the environmental, social and economic impacts of tourism. The second course, Seminar in Hospitality Research (SCH MGT 888), addresses theory and applications in hospitality research. It demonstrates the application of mainstream theories in economics, the social sciences, and other business disciplines to the HTM field. The third course (SCHMGMT 885) examines theories, models and research in services marketing and management. The core includes an additional management foundation course (3 credits) whereby students examine a collection of Great Books in management theory. This course offers a solid foundation for HTM doctoral students who ultimately will be conducting research in and about Hospitality and Tourism organizations. Students also complete a minimum of six Research Foundation courses (18 credits), an Isenberg SOM or related subfield (9 credits), and electives (6 credits).
Sample First Year courses:
Fall Semester
SOM 802 Foundations of Organization\al Behavior and Theory
Psych 640 Statistical Inference I
(or equivalent)
SOM 804 Research Design
Spring Semester
SCH-MGMT 883 Seminar in Tourism Theory and Research
Psych 641 Statistical Inference II
(or equivalent)
SOM 805 Applied Multivariate Statistics
Research elective
Summer Semester
Qualifying Exam
SOM 897T Seminar in Teaching- Part 1
SOM 897T Seminar in Teaching- Part 2
Second Year Courses:
Fall semester
SCH-MGMT 888 Seminar in Hospitality Research
SOM 893 Research in Organizations
SOM Minor/subfield course
General Elective
Spring Semester
SCH-MGMT 885 Research in Services Marketing/Management
SOM Minor/subfield course
SOM Minor course
General Elective
Summer Semester
Preparation for Comprehensive Evaluation
Third Year Courses:
Fall Semester
Additional Coursework as Needed
Comprehensive Evaluation
Semesters 6, 7, and 8
Following the comprehensive evaluation, students prepare a dissertation proposal and defend it to a faculty committee. Subsequent semesters are spent completing this independent scholarly research and undergoing a final dissertation defense.
Admission Requirements
The Ph.D. Concentration in Hospitality and Tourism recruits the most highly qualified candidates who offer the strongest potential for scholarly research. Admission standards are consistent with the other seven Ph.D. concentrations in the Isenberg School of Management. All candidates are expected to be graduates of accredited business, hospitality and/or tourism or related programs.
Applicants will be evaluated on such criteria as academic coursework and background, GPA, GMAT scores, TOEFL scores where applicable, letters of reference and professional experience. Prior completion of a master's thesis will be viewed as evidence of the ability and potential to conduct independent research; however, it is not required for admission. Based on the review of all application materials, candidates may be required to take additional coursework.