BS in Hospitality & Communication

The Hospitality & Communication major is a bachelor of science program offered by the School of Hospitality Administration (SHA), in collaboration with the College of Communication (COM). Both hospitality and communication students can benefit from the skill sets cultivated through this unique program. SHA’s distinct approach to hospitality, Experience Innovation, focuses on the deliberate use of human interaction to address individual, organizational, and societal issues. Rooted in the hospitality industry, Experience Innovation has utility in any organization in any industry that seeks competitive advantage through the practice of hospitality to achieve business objectives. Teamed with COM’s expertise in public relations, advertising, TV, radio, film, and media production, students will gain the ability to excel across a broad spectrum of communication skills. Together, this program will empower its graduates to make a meaningful difference in enterprises where people and profit matter.

Learning Outcomes

• View hospitality through the lens of Experience Innovation, where there is a deliberate focus on cultivating meaningful human interaction and memorable experience.
• Understand hospitality as a business strategy that can increase profitability, support employment and retention, and foster customer loyalty.
• Demonstrate understanding of hospitality as a system comprising the core functional areas (e.g., finance/accounting, operations, human resources, and marketing).
• Learn and apply best practices for hospitality marketing, special event planning, and strategic integrated communication.
• Cultivate leadership skills with a foundational understanding of psychology, consumer behavior, team building, cultural diversity awareness, and interpersonal communication.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of event planning, including strategy, operations, private club management, venue-specific opportunities, and financial accountability.
• Learn and apply communication tools, including content marketing, social media, and campaign development.
• Understand marketing communications campaign strategy, content development, media planning, and consumer insight within the hospitality arena.

Requirements

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Hospitality and Communication will ordinarily, through coursework in the major, satisfy some BU Hub requirements in Philosophical, Aesthetic, and Historical Interpretation; Scientific and Social Inquiry; Quantitative Reasoning; Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship; Communication; and the Intellectual Toolkit. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

A candidate for the degree must earn 128 units in BU Hub, major, and elective courses. In addition, 600 hours of on-the-job experience are required. This experience is divided between two separate 300-hour experiences and may be completed at any time during the degree program. An international experience is also required.

The major is divided between SHA and COM and requires 20 CAS units of foundational courses, 40 core units (24 units are SHA and 16 units are COM), 24 elective units divided between SHA and COM, and 44 generic elective units.

All Hospitality and Communication Majors must complete:

Major Requirements

CAS Foundational Courses (20 units)

• CAS MA 113 Elementary Statistics or CAS MA 115 Statistics I
• CAS MA 119 Applied Mathematics for Personal Finance Sciences
• CAS PS 101 Intro to Psychology
• Foreign Language: Two terms of the same modern foreign language—proficiency through level 2

Core Requirements (40 units: 24 for SHA, 16 for COM)

• SHA HF 100 Introduction to Hospitality
• SHA HF 150 Experience Management
• SHA HF 260 Hospitality Marketing Principles
• SHA HF 282 Hospitality Communications
• SHA HF 375 Fundamentals of Event Management & Design
• SHA HF 432 Hospitality Leadership
• COM CM 211 Professional Presentations
• COM CM 215 Principles and Practices of Public Relations
• COM CM 217 Introduction to Advertising
• COM CO 101 Human Story Teller

Choose 24 Elective Units—option to choose 12 units from one concentration or take courses across both concentrations.

Event Management and Public Relations Concentration

• SHA HF 210 Financial Accounting for the Hospitality Industry
• SHA HF 220 Food and Beverage
• SHA HF 295 Private Club Management
• SHA HF 307 Hospitality Entrepreneurship
• SHA HF 321 Advanced Food & Beverage Management
• SHA HF 360 Hospitality Sales Management
• SHA HF 361 Advanced Consumer Behavior in Hospitality
• SHA HF 376 Special Event Planning and Operations
• COM CM 201 Introduction to Communication Writing
• COM CM 331 Writing for Communication (prerequisite: COM CO 201 and First Year Writing Seminar, e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120)
• COM CM 442 Business Fundamentals of Public Relations
• COM CM 443 Digital Media and PR
• COM CM 481 Media Law and Policy
• COM CM 513 Investor Relations
• COM CM 522 Managing Corporate Crisis
• COM CM 525 Public Relations Ethics
• COM CM 548 International Public Relations
• COM CM 580 PRLab (prerequisite: COM CO 201, CM 215, CM 331)

Branding & Marketing Communication Concentration

• SHA HF 210 Financial Accounting for the Hospitality Industry
• SHA HF 302 Research Methods for Hospitality & Tourism
• SHA HF 307 Hospitality Entrepreneurship
• SHA HF 360 Hospitality Sales Management
• SHA HF 361 Advanced Consumer Behavior in Hospitality
• SHA HF 367 Hospitality Distribution Channel Management
• SHA HF 368 Digital Marketing Strategies
• SHA HF 460 Experiential Marketing
• COM CM 201 Introduction to Communication Writing
• COM CM 313 Corporate Communication
• COM CM 331 Writing for Communication (prerequisite: COM CO 201 and First Year Writing Seminar, e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120)
• COM CM 416 Strategic Brand Solutions
• COM CM 419 Advertising Management
• COM CM 443 Digital Media and PR
• COM CM 522 Managing Corporate Crisis
• COM CM 585 AdLab (prerequisite: COM CM 217 and sophomore standing)

Elective Courses

Students must choose a total of 24 elective units as part of the program requirements: 12 units from the list of available SHA elective courses and 12 units from the list of available COM elective courses.

In addition, if students wish to pursue one of the two available concentrations—Event Management and Public Relations or Branding and Marketing Communication—they must choose 12 elective units from under the respective concentration, with the requirement that they take at least one SHA and one COM course to fulfill the concentration.

Irrespective of whether a student chooses a concentration or not, the above requirements of 24 elective units (total) and 12 units each from SHA and COM still holds as a requirement for successful completion of the degree. 

Two Field Experiences (0 units)

In addition to regular coursework, SHA students complete two 300-hour, noncredit work experiences. The purpose of each work experience is to help the students make connections in the field as well as gain the kind of experience that will allow them to obtain meaningful employment after graduation. These requirements are linked to noncredit courses SHA HF 140 and SHA HF 240.

International Experience (0 units)

All SHA students are required to demonstrate significant exposure to a culture outside of their home country. For many students, this experience involves participating in a Boston University Study Abroad program either during a term or during the summer. For others, it may involve specifically designed coursework completed at the University. Please refer to the International Experience Manual (SHA HF 440 Manual) for detailed information about how to fulfill this requirement. Students are NOT eligible to apply for a study abroad program unless they have completed at least one 400-hour work experience.

Please see the most up-to-date offering of electives on the school curriculum website. Hospitality electives are offered in 1-, 2-, or 4-unit courses. When selecting the electives, students should consider their career objectives and personal interests. It is important to make sure that you have completed any prerequisite courses before registering for hospitality electives. Information on prerequisites can be found in the course descriptions.

*NOTES: Students may not start taking COM courses until their sophomore year. More than one COM Core course may be taken at a time.

General Electives (28 units or more if necessary to reach 128 total units)

Students are required to fulfill their remaining academic unit requirements as well as any remaining BU Hub requirements through elective coursework at any college within the University. Elective courses should be selected by the student to complement and broaden the student’s background. Students who are considering studying abroad through any of Boston University’s Study Abroad programs should save some of their electives for the term in which they plan to study abroad. Additionally, students interested in minoring in another school or subject at the University should utilize their elective allotment for that purpose. Physical Education and ROTC courses do not count toward degree units.