Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• SHA HF 367: Hospitality Distribution Channel Management
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 260
  This course provides an overview for managing marketing distribution strategies. In the hotel business today there is a complex network of legacy, online and mobile channels. Distribution is the intersection of revenue management and marketing strategy. A focus is placed on presenting and analyzing the current distribution channels within the travel/hospitality industry. Various approaches to marketing distribution management are evaluated and tested. Topics include the scope of hospitality marketing distribution; economics of the major hospitality distribution segments/channels; managing hospitality distribution strategies; In the end, this course will provide the framework for how and where a hotel should be distributed to maximize revenue and profit. 2 cr. Offered Spring Semester.
• SHA HF 368: Digital Marketing Strategies for the Hospitality Industry
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 260
  This is an advanced course in hospitality marketing focused on the variety of digital marketing tools currently available for hotels and restaurants. The course is designed to follow HSMAI's CHDM (Certified Hospitality Digital Marketing) study guide to meet the industry standard for digital marketing professionals. There will be a review of the most revenue-generating internet marketing techniques and finally booking mechanisms and distribution channels. The course includes concentration on content marketing, social media and developing social campaigns; OTAs and understanding the distribution channels; as well as online reputation management and the technical tools used to monitor results. The class will be structured as a lecture; you must bring your laptops for all in class exercises. 4 cr. Offered Spring Semester.
• SHA HF 370: Revenue Management and Technology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 270
  This course provides an advanced overview of the revenue management function in hotels. Revenue management is an integrated approach to maximizing revenue that includes capacity analysis, demand forecasting, variable pricing, and distribution technology. 2 cr. Offered Fall & Spring.
• SHA HF 375: Meetings & Conventions
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 220
  This course provides an introduction to the methods and techniques utilized in planning, organizing, promoting and delivering of businesses and social events, and the role events play in generating a tourist and business market. Information will be presented that will allow the student to gain general knowledge of planning events. Specifically, the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) sector of the events will be examined in depth from a professional planner's perspective. Information presented will allow the student to gain knowledge of planning events from the role of a meeting professional and assist in preparing for the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) or Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP) exam. 4 cr. Offered Fall & Spring.
• SHA HF 376: Special Event Planning and Operations
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 375
  This course is designed to provide an introduction to the principles of special event management. The planning, development, and management of corporate and social events, entertainment events and festivals will be the focus of the study. Specific topics will include the foundations of planning an event, including conceptualization, event design, working with vendors/contracts, budgeting, marketing strategy, revenue generation through tickets and sponsorship, and event technology. 4 cr. Offered Spring Semester.
• SHA HF 382: Hospitality Communications Practicum
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 100
  This course is intended as a 'practicum' in hospitality communications. This course is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. The focus is on the development of those communication skills that are critical to being effective managers. There will be readings on communication, but the majority of the course will focus on skills development. Each week students will be required to deliver presentations to the class. These presentations will be videotaped and critiqued. By the end of this course students will be much more comfortable, clear, and confident speakers in any situation. Fail/Pass. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Oral and/or Signed Communication. 2 cr. Offered Fall & Spring.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
• SHA HF 410: Finance for the Hospitality Industry
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 310 and (CAS MA 113 or CAS MA 115)
  Studies the techniques financial managers and external analysts employ to value the firm and its assets. Topics include financial statement analysis, taxation, discounted cash flow, stock and bond valuation, cost of capital, and capital budgeting. The techniques of discounted cash flow and the command of taxation principles developed in the course are applied to commercial real estate analysis, including hospitality properties. 4 cr., Offered Fall & Spring.
• SHA HF 415: Hospitality Asset Management
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 310
  This course is designed to introduce the student to a rapidly growing area of the lodging industry, namely, asset management. The course will define what asset management is today and examin the skills required to be a successful asset manager. There will be a special focus on the benefits to the hotel owner of hiring an asset manager and the role of the asset manager in representing the owner in deliberations about annual operating budgets and capital plans with the hotel management company. In order to effectuate this understanding, the course will also concentrate on hotel investment analysis including market analysis, benchmarking and pro forma preparation, and developing an asset management plan. 2 cr. Offered Fall Semester.
• SHA HF 416: Franchise, Management, and Independents in Hospitality
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 220 and SHA HF 270
  The Franchise, Management, and Independents in Hospitality class emphasizes the benefits and limitations of the franchise and management company relationship for hotels and restaurants. It addresses the key elements and financial implications associated with franchise and management agreements. A broad discussion highlighting the brand selection process will provide insight to the value creation. The course will introduce students to the recent trends in soft branding, and what it means to be a boutique and/or independent hotel or restaurant. Students will learn the competitive advantages and disadvantages of being independent. The course will address the restaurant franchise industry including quick serve (QSR), full service (FSR) and fast casual. Students will gain understanding of the value created by the restaurant franchise's processes and operations. Other topics will include brand and franchise development and outsourcing.
• SHA HF 430: Advanced Wine Study
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 100 and SHA HF 329
  Students must be 21 to take this course. This course offers a thorough study of wine tasting, wine and food pairing and wine and food event planning. Each class features a blind tasting of selected wines along with discussion on the principles of critical tasting and wine and food pairing. The objectives of the course are to fully prepare those entering the hospitality industry to purchase wines and to recommend them to customers with various types of food. 2 cr. Offered Spring Semester.
• SHA HF 432: Hospitality Leadership
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 231, Seniors only
  This course will focus on leadership and management for the hospitality industry. Using a leadership continuum as a framework, we will explore several different levels of leadership, from a "traditional" leadership role as the head of a major corporation to the more personal aspect of self- leadership. Several different leadership models will be analyzed and applied to the hospitality industry. Leadership tools will be explored - hands-on, realistic tools that you will be able to use in your personal lives, while in school and in the business world upon graduation. 4 cr. Offered Fall & Spring.
• SHA HF 440: International Experience
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 140
  This requirement is fulfilled by studying and/or working abroad. Students typically enroll in a BU Study Abroad program, another approved study abroad program or attaining an internship abroad. Students are able to satisfy this requirement in other ways but must discuss how with SHA Career Services. All students are required to have their HF440 activities pre-approved by SHA Career Services prior to completing work/activities. 0 cr. Offered Fall & Spring.
• SHA HF 460: Strategic Mktg
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 100, and (SHA HF 260 or QST MK 323), and (CAS WR 150/151/152 or CGS RH 104); First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120)
  This course description is currently under construction.
  BU Hub Learn More

  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• SHA HF 478: Hospitality Analytical Problem Solving
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: SHA HF 260, SHA HF 310, and (CAS MA 113 or CAS MA 115)
  This course will provide students with fundamental knowledge of business analytics and information visualization combined with extensive opportunities for developing hands-on skills for applying hospitality business analytics to managerial decision-making. Students will learn fundamental mathematical and statistical concepts as well as statistical modeling techniques to solve operational, financial and marketing issues that hospitality organizations face today. Students will also learn how to leverage widely used Microsoft Excel to build out data-driven insights and craft story telling visualization around the data-driven insights. 4 cr. Offered Fall & Spring.
• SHA HF 619: Hotel Development and Deal Making
  The Hotel Development and Deal Making course will cover the basics of real estate development: Site acquisition, required approvals, zoning, and financial strategies. As it pertains to hotel assets, the course will help students navigate the intricacies of negotiating franchise agreements and management contracts that are necessary for any development deal. This course will also promote sound real estate investment and financial decisions via the knowledge of theory and strategies and their application in the real world. We will learn about potential sources of debt and equity financing through the study of the four quadrants of capital, study about the factors that affect an investor's buy/sell/reposition decisions, and delve into the complex relationship between the equity participant (owner), the lender, the operating company, and the brand.
• SHA HF 621: Advanced Food and Beverage Management
  This course is meant to provide students at the Master's level a broad and practical understanding of foodservice operations for the new world in which we are living. Foodservice encompasses much more than restaurants, though special attention will be paid to various types of restaurants to understand how they operate and what they may look like in the future. Students should expect to gain insight into both strategic and day-to-day operational management, as well as a high-level discovery of the various segments of foodservice.
• SHA HF 631: Advanced Hr
  This course description is currently under construction.
• SHA HF 667: Fundamentals of Digital Content Development
  This course teaches students to use digital tools to create messaging, story lines, and infographics for print, online, audio and video content marketing. Use of Adobe Photoshop, Premier Pro, In Design and other elements of the Creative Suite will be used to design materials for real lodging and food and beverage clients.
• SHA HF 679: Financial Reporting and Analysis
  This course will teach students the process of examining a company's performance in the context of its industry and economic environment in order to arrive at a decision or recommendation. The central focus of financial analysis is financial statement analysis and interpretation of financial disclosures on evaluating the company's performance to improve risk assessment and decision-making. Students will be able to understand company's future risk performance by analyzing the financial statements.
• SHA HF 688: Operations and Service Consulting
  This course teaches students techniques on how to run a lean operation in hospitality while building up their analytical skill-set. Students will learn advanced methods to measure labor productivity, throughput and service levels in hospitality operations.