Message from the Coordinator
The hospitality and tourism industry lends itself to fascinating and revealing research about society, the economy and the marketplace. Our PhD program in Hotel and Tourism Management (HTM) gives students the time and resources to delve into the industry, to engage in rigorous research, and to publish their findings.
Our PhD graduates become top scholars, professors and researchers at the leading hospitality and tourism programs in the US and abroad. Our graduates are successful because our program offers:
- One-on-one mentoring and advising by renowned faculty. Students will work closely with faculty on multiple research projects.
- The opportunity to specialize in one focus area. Our concentrations include marketing/consumer behavior, leadership, information technology and social media, operational research and finance.
- Real-world preparation for careers in academia. All candidates teach graduate-level classes at Isenberg and have 100% responsibility in their classrooms.
Additionally, students in our program also graduate with a PhD in Management, making them more marketable in the job field and more knowledgeable in the classroom.
While our program is rigorous and highly selective, our learning environment is collaborative and supportive. We welcome applicants who are self-motivated, committed, and independent initiators and team players.
Albert Assaf
Professor, Hadelman Family Faculty Fellow
Isenberg’s PhD in hospitality and tourism management is a full-time, residential program that prepares candidates for academic careers in hospitality and tourism. The program develops strong research skills that enable graduates to conduct and publish scholarly research with competence and confidence.
Students can study any area of interest that applies to hospitality and tourism and gain real-world teaching experience that allows them to excel in university teaching in their areas of interest.
Isenberg has a strong focus on research. Faculty are working in a wide variety of research domains, investigating such areas as:
- Hotel and Destination Branding
- Service Experience Management
- Impact and Performance Studies in Tourism and Hospitality Operations
- Quality-of-Life and Tourism and Hospitality Research
- Sustainability in Tourism and Hospitality
- Strategic Management and Finance
- Revenue Management
HTM PhD Program Overview
Watch our video to hear about the program from the students and professors in this active teaching and research community.
Students generally complete a PhD in HTM within 4-5 years. Students must take core courses in theory and research methods, as well as electives and minor classes. In addition, our doctoral students must pass a qualifying and comprehensive examination. Students also teach at Isenberg. During the final years, students are responsible for creating and defending a dissertation.
Here's a sample of required HTM courses:
- Foundations of Organizational Behavior and Theory
- Research Design
- Multivariate Analysis
- Structural Equation Model
- Seminar in Tourism Theory and Research
- Seminar in Hospitality Research
- Services Marketing/Management Research
YEAR 1: Coursework, including statistics, research methods, and theory courses, and research electives; Qualifying exam
YEAR 2: Coursework, including marketing and management courses, research electives and minor area courses; Comprehensive exam
YEAR 3: Additional coursework as needed; Development of dissertation proposal; Teaching
YEAR 4-5: Dissertation research
HTM Doctoral Students
