Degree Requirements
School of Hospitality Administration Policy
Course Units and Distribution
Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Administration and the Bachelor of Science in Hospitality & Communication must earn 128 units 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 requirements 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 units or less) only during their final term of senior year, pending how many course units 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 term prior to their last.
To be considered a full-time degree candidate, a student must be registered in at least three 4-unit courses or for 12 units. A normal course load is four 4-unit courses or 16 units. Full tuition, however, covers 18 units. Students may wish to enroll in one or two 1- or 2-unit HF electives and/or Physical Development Program (PDP) courses each term. 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 units. All students must be in good academic standing. Seniors may overload up to 2 extra units (20 total) for two terms 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-unit charge to their student account (except those students with a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher). First-year and first-term transfer students are not permitted to overload.
Enrollment in fewer than three courses (12 units) in any term 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.
