Degree Requirements

School of Hospitality Administration Policy

Course Credits and Distribution

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration and the Bachelor of Science in Hospitality & Communication must earn 128 credits in general education courses, foundational courses, hospitality specialization courses, hospitality elective courses, elective courses, and communication courses (for the SHA/COM degree). In addition, students complete 800 hours of internship or work experience in the hospitality industry. These experiences are divided equally between two separate 400-hour experiences and may be completed at any time during the degree program. An international experience is also required.

All first-year, first-time students will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, a general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements are flexible and can be satisfied in many different ways, through coursework in and beyond the major and, in some cases, through cocurricular activities. Students must earn 26 BU Hub units in designated areas prior to graduation.

Course Load

Students are expected to remain as full-time students throughout their four years in SHA. Students can petition to have part-time student status (11 credits or less) only during their final semester of senior year, pending how many course credits they have left to fulfill. Students interested in petitioning to have part-time status will need to fill out a petition form and submit it to the SHA Director of Student Services the semester prior to their last.

To be considered a full-time degree candidate, a student must be registered in at least three 4-credit courses or for 12 credits. A normal course load is four 4-credit courses or 16 credits. Full tuition, however, covers 18 credits. Students may wish to enroll in one or two 1- or 2-credit HF electives and/or Physical Development Program (PDP) courses each semester. PDP courses do not count toward graduation.

Prior approval by the SHA Director of Student Services is required for any student wishing to register for more than 18 credits. All students must be in good academic standing. Seniors may overload up to 2 extra credits (20 total) for two semesters at no additional charge to their student account. Sophomores and juniors require a GPA of 2.5 or better to apply and will incur a per-credit charge to their student account (except those students with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher). First-year and first-semester transfer students are not permitted to overload.

Enrollment in fewer than three courses (12 credits) in any semester requires prior approval.

Requirement for Satisfactory Record

Students may accumulate no more than four “D” grades in their studies outside of the SHA program. Courses taken to satisfy hospitality requirements and hospitality electives must be completed with a grade of “C” or higher.