Prpsal: Turism and Hspitality Certificate Prgram Department f Recreatin, Parks and Turism Sciences Texas A&M University T address the significant and grwing demand fr management prfessinals in the fields f hspitality and turism thrughut Texas and afar, we prpse the develpment f an undergraduate Turism and Hspitality Certificate. The certificate will require 15 credit hurs f cursewrk in Turism and Hspitality. Oversight fr the prgram will be prvided by the Department f Recreatin, Parks and Turism Sciences. [3.28.2014]
Table f Cntents Overview... 3 Objectives... 4 Gals... 4 Cmpnents... 5 Learning Outcmes... 5 Eligibility... 6 Administratin... 6 Award f Certificate... 6 Catalg Descriptin...7 Prgram Mdules...7 Curse Descriptins... 8 Metrics f Success... 8 Letters f Supprt... 9 2
Turism and Hspitality Management Certificate Prgram Department: Recreatin, Parks and Turism Sciences (RPTS) Cllege: Texas A&M University Cllege f Agriculture and Life Sciences Overview The Wrld Travel Organizatin predicts the turism and hspitality industry will triple in size by 2020, thus becming amng the very largest f the wrld s industries. This explsive grwth will dramatically increase the demand fr managers and entrepreneurs in the expansive travel industries. Substantially increased pprtunities fr challenging and rewarding careers will thus likely be available t graduates f tp university prgrams in turism and hspitality management. These pprtunities present bth challenges and pprtunities t academic prgrams in hspitality and turism. Prminent amng these challenges is prviding diverse nntraditinal students with access t turism and hspitality educatin prfessinal preparatin prgrams. Diversity f the wrkfrce is essential t success in the travel industries. Turist markets are diverse by definitin, and industry leaders fully embrace the psitin that diverse individuals are needed at all levels f turism rganizatins t successfully attract travelers and ptimally meet their needs. Thus, an increasing number f students will be needed in the travel industry at varius career levels. These individuals require educatin pprtunities that allw fr maximum schedule flexibility. The current RPTS curriculum is nt fully sufficient t meet these needs. It is lacking in curses that specifically fcus n hspitality management, and its n-line fferings that meet varied scheduling needs are limited. Expansin and innvatin f the Department f Recreatin, Park and Turism Sciences turism and hspitality management curriculum is thus needed t meet the needs f these increasingly diverse traditinal and nntraditinal student markets. Turism and Hspitality Management is a multidisciplinary field f study that integrates and applies cncepts, principles, and prcesses frm a variety f disciplines.. It is a vital sectr f the turism industry, fcusing n careers in resrts, htels, and restaurants. Future turism and hspitality leaders will need t develp skills and knwledge related t: marketing, management, finance, peratins and direct service delivery. Recent fcus grups cnducted by the Department Head f RPTS revealed an verwhelming respnse frm undergraduate students requesting mre hspitality management curse fferings within the department. Clearly, increasing numbers f students aspire t hspitality management careers. T meet the needs f these students and t prepare fr the imminent increase in diverse nntraditinal students, this prject will develp an nline hspitality certificate prgram fcused n increasing the pprtunities fr talented undergraduate students, including thse frm histrically underrepresented demgraphics. The certificate prgram will facilitate develpment f autnmy and innvatin amng students thrugh selfmtivatin, discipline, and resurce management skills. These same skills will prvide the unique skill set students will need t succeed as prfessinals in challenging and exciting hspitality management psitins and as citizens in ur increasingly glbal sciety. 3
Objectives The specific bjectives f the turism and hspitality certificate are t: Facilitate learning f increasingly diverse and nntraditinal students in specialized turism and hspitality management cncepts thrugh the flexibility f nline distance educatin curses; Optimize students learning experiences and management skills by building autnmy thrugh self-mtivatin, discipline, and resurce management skills required t cmplete an nline certificate prgram; and Serve as a recruiting tl fr attracting future industry leaders in hspitality, including thse frm underrepresented backgrunds t cmplete an undergraduate educatin prgram at Texas A&M. The Department f Recreatin, Park and Turism Sciences is well-psitined t ffer this certificate curriculum. The number f students declaring their majr as turism, inclusive f hspitality and events management, has cnsistently averaged 60% f all students enrlled as RPTS undergraduates since 2010. The verall department enrllment f 430 undergraduates is cmprised f 275 students wh have declared turism as their majr cncentratin. Of all RPTS undergraduate students securing internships in 2013, 55 percent cmpleted an internship within the industries f turism, hspitality and/r event management. The number f interns that we have placed in hspitality psitins has increased frm 10 in 2010, t 44 in 2013. In additin, there has cnsistently been a need t increase the enrllment size f classrm lecture curses with a fcus n turism, as student waitlists fr these curses cntinue t increase. The prgram is als well psitined due t its natinal reputatin and the strng ties it has cultivated with statewide and internatinal stakehlders. Gals Creatin f the nline certificate prgram is fully aligned with ne f the prpsed values in achieving The Cllege f Agriculture and Life Sciences visin, as stated in the Cllege s Strategic Plan 2010-2015, t Create inspired teaching prgrams that mtivate, excite, and reward students and prepare them t cntribute t an ever-changing and increasingly glbal sciety. An identified strategy assciated with Imperative 5, Gal 3 is t Expand distance educatin fferings, and an actin assciated with that strategy highlights an increase by 50% f curses, degrees and certificate prgrams ffered by distance educatin. The prpsed certificate prgram wuld assist in achieving the Cllege s visin and imperatives under this gal. The prpsed certificate prgram will als cntribute t meeting ther Imperatives and Gals set frth in the 2010-2015 Strategic Plan: Expand ut-f-classrm learning experiences (Imperative 3, Gal 2, Strategy 1), Expand crss-disciplinary learning cmmunities and enhance student peer mentring prgrams (Imperative 3, Gal 2, Strategy 3), Enhance the awareness f faculty and their ability t teach effectively and have a glbal appreciatin (Imperative 4, Gal 2, Strategy 1), Develp cllabrative agreements with key industry partners (Imperative 5, Gal 1, Strategy 2), and Braden the types f stakehlders (Imperative 5, Gal 1, Strategy 3) 4
By fcusing n these gals, the prpsed certificate prgram shuld enable students t: Understand, integrate and apply cnceptual appraches t turism and hspitality management; Cnsider cultural issues and their impacts n management decisins in hspitality and turism; Use research and evaluatin skills t imprve marketing, financial, and business prcesses in cllabratins with lcal industry partners; Learn the nature and dynamics f the turism and hspitality industry, its sectrs and public and private businesses; Understand varius management paradigms and methds in running a business r an rganizatin in the turism and hspitality industries; Apply theretical knwledge int the practical businesses f turism hspitality; Make decisins and judgments as well as prvide leadership in turism and hspitality businesses r rganizatins; Display creative and analytical skills in addressing factrs relevant t turism and hspitality business management; Imprve critical thinking and writing skills; and Have cntact with a brad range f stakehlders t cllabrate n prjects, leading t increased awareness and industry respect f the prgram and its students. Cmpnents 1- A 15 credit hur Turism and Hspitality Management Certificate prgram will be created. Necessary apprvals will be sught t ffer the prgram exclusively n-line, with additinal pen sectins fr lcal students wh wish t enrll in specific classes in the prgram. 2- T intrduce students t the newly develped prgram, a web-based rientatin tl will be created and face-t-face briefings will be cnducted in current RPTS curses. The web tl and briefings will prvide an verview f the prgram, intrductin f certificate advisrs and will identify specific curses and electives available t thse pursuing the certificatin. 3- The certificate will require five curses. It is ntable that the curses in this prgram will address the expressed needs f ur current students fr new and additinal classes in hspitality management, while als allwing us t meet the needs f new nntraditinal students. The prpsed curses include three current RPTS curses and develpment f tw new curses develped fr apprval in cnjunctin with this prpsal. The certificate will encmpass the fllwing: RPTS 302: Applicatin f Turism Principles RPTS 331: Turism Marketing RPTS 423: Resrt and Htel Management RPTS 489: Planning and Implementatin f Events in Resrts and Htels RPTS 489: Service Quality fr Hspitality Organizatins The cre curses may cunt tward ther degree r certificatin prgrams; hwever, the student must maintain a 2.5 minimum GPA in the certificate curses, with n grade lwer than a C. Learning Outcmes 1- Students will be able t understand the cmplexity f issues invlved in develping and implementing a marketing plan fr hspitality and turism entities, identifying target markets 5
fr fcused prmtins, and planning and implementing events and prgrams fr resrts and htels. 2- Students will be able t identify and implement cmpnents f service quality t enhance the hspitality experience. 3-Students will gain access t industry leaders t learn hw cncepts studied in the curses are applied t real wrld wrking envirnments. 4- Students will be ffered the pprtunity t wrk with persns f varying cultures and ethnicities t prmte acceptance and develp prfessinalism when wrking with individuals f differing backgrunds. 5- Students will develp an understanding f business administratin, peratins, technlgy management, financial applicatins, and cnsumer behavir, all needed t secure management psitins within hspitality and turism industries. Eligibility T apply fr a certificate, a student must cmplete an applicatin frm n later than their junir year, file a degree plan with the administering department, and maintain a GPA f at least 2.5 at the time f applicatin. Senir transfer students may be accepted at the discretin f the department if their degree plans allws sufficient time remaining fr cmpletin f all requirements befre graduatin. The department reserves the right t limit the number f applicants admitted based n the resurces available t administer the prgram. Administratin The Department f Recreatin, Parks and Turism Sciences will retain and manage recrds fr thse admitted t the certificate prgram. Departmental faculty will serve as advisrs and instructrs t students. At the discretin f the Dean f the Cllege f Agriculture and Life Sciences, r the Head f the participating department, a Crdinating Cmmittee cmpsed f faculty may be appinted. The department will be respnsible fr cmmunicating with the registrar s ffice when a student has successfully cmpleted the certificate requirements. Award f Certificate Students cmpleting all requirements will receive a certificate acknwledging cmpletin frm the administering department. The certificate will appear n the student s fficial transcript. 6
Catalg Descriptin Turism and Hspitality Management Certificate Prgram Open t All Majrs The Turism and Hspitality Management Certificate Prgram (THMCP), ffered by the Department f Recreatins, Parks, and Turism Sciences, is designed t prvide students with an understanding f the planning, analysis, and decisin-making techniques needed fr management psitins in turism and hspitality industries. Students will study and develp skills related t principles f management, sustainability, develpment, cultural tlerance, marketing, finance, and service quality as they apply t the hspitality and turism industries. The THMCP requires a minimum f 15 credit hurs in designated curses, ffered bth nline and n campus. Students must earn a grade f C r better in each curse used t meet the requirements. Students wh pursue the THMCP must cmplete all requirements prir t graduatin. Specific certificate requirements are available in the Undergraduate Prgrams Office f the department f Recreatin, Parks and Turism Sciences. Prgram Mdules Turism and Hspitality Certificate Prgram Mdules Department f Recreatin, Parks and Turism Sciences Business f Turism The Business Envirnment Psychlgy f Cnsumers Destinatin Management Turism and Hspitality Impacts Ethics in Hspitality and Turism Operatins Analysis Managing Human Resurces Hspitality and Turism Marketing Marketing Cmmunicatins Cnsumer Behavir Crisis Management Marketing Strategy Business Strategy Cultural Diversity and Awareness Fundraising and Prfit Makers Media Prmtins Business f Hspitality Understanding Service Delivery Marketing Principles Prject Management Turism Plicy and Develpment Business Finance Hspitality and Turism Technlgy and Media Entrepreneurship in Hspitality and Turism Strategic Analysis f Hspitality Entities Hspitality Events Management Service Quality Htel Revenue Management Prfit and Nnprfit Events Management Internatinal Turism Develpment Sustainable Operatins Legal and Regulatry Cncerns Technlgy and Scial Media 7
Curse Descriptins Texas A&M University Curse Descriptins fr Turism and Hspitality Certificate RPTS 302. Applicatin f Turism Principles. (3-0). Credit 3. Turism principles applied at lcal, reginal and internatinal levels; examinatin f the scale, scpe and rganizatin f the industry including marketing destinatins and experiences; issues related t the ecnmic, technlgical and plitial aspects f turism. RPTS 331. Turism Marketing. (3-0). Credit 3. Applicatin f basic turism marketing principles and cncepts in gvernment, business, and scial-cause cntexts; situatin analysis and peratinal evaluatin; decisin making in terms f prduct, place, price, and channel f distributin mixes fr turism attractins and services. Prerequisite: RPTS 302 r apprval f instructr. RPTS 423. Hspitality and Turism Management. (3-0). Credit 3. Managing turism and hspitality businesses; rganizatin, cmplexity and scpe f turism and hspitality systems; issues related t distributin, peratins and sustainability, managing turism and hspitality industries in different envirnments; rles f technlgy and infrmatin technlgy, future f hspitality and turism. Prerequisites: RPTS 302 RPTS 489. Planning and Implementatin f Events in Resrts and Htels (3-0). Credit 3. Planning, peratins, administratin and evaluatin f events held at resrts and htels; includes creatin and implementatin f prgrams and special events with budgeting, peratinal and venue lgistics, marketing, fund raising, hspitality training and participant satisfactin. RPTS 489. Service Quality fr Hspitality Organizatins (3-0). Credit 3. Applicatin f SERVQUAL aspects with fcus n implementing each measure t enhance custmer service experiences within the hspitality and turism industries; planning and administering f hspitality service strategy; measurement f service delivery; repair and recvery f service delivery gaps; management and training f emplyees. Metrics f Success The prgram faculty will meet twice per year t discuss prgress f the students and t assess the degree t which gals and utcmes are being achieved. The assessment apprach will include bth prgram and student learning utcme assessments. Prgram assessments will include develpment f curses in specified time frames, psting f prgram in specified time frames, evaluatin f recruitment strategies, enrllment f prjected number f students, timet-graduatin, and student experiences. Direct and indirect measures f learning utcmes will als be develped. 8
Letters f Supprt 9
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