Best Online Hotel and Restaurant Management Degree Programs 2024

Managing a hotel or restaurant requires education and training many people might not expect, but a management restaurant degree can prepare you for a leadership position in the hospitality field. Earning a management restaurant degree can also teach you transferable leadership skills and provide hands-on experience in different settings.

This page highlights one of the management restaurant degree programs of 2024. You can also discover salary information relevant to this field and answers to some frequently asked questions about hotel and restaurant management.

Editor’s Note: There are other universities that also offer this program online. However, we filter our results to only show schools with a graduation rate in the top third of all reporting schools.

Pursuing a bachelor’s in hotel and restaurant management makes sense for individuals who enjoy working with others and are passionate about food, travel, or tourism. Working in this field can make for many late nights and long shifts, so prospective students should consider the long-term scheduling implications before taking the plunge.

The majority of online bachelor’s in hotel and restaurant management programs require four years of full-time study and consist of approximately 120 credits. Part-time students usually need six years to graduate.

While most of the curriculum focuses on general education and core hospitality topics, some programs also offer the opportunity to develop specialized knowledge. Concentration options often include hotel and lodging management, beverage management, and meetings and event management.

Given the hands-on nature of hotel and restaurant management jobs, many degrees also include an internship component. These semester-long experiences allow degree-seekers to shadow and learn from experienced hospitality professionals before leaving school.

Prospective students may encounter hotel and restaurant programs offered as a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science. The BA typically requires a foreign language component, making it a great fit for those seeking international roles. The BS tends to focus more on business topics.

Coursework for online bachelor’s in hotel and restaurant management programs familiarizes learners with every step of the hospitality process, from online bookings to repeat guests. Each school will offer its own unique curriculum, but the following section highlights several common classes.

Earning an online bachelor’s in hotel and restaurant management qualifies graduates to take on many rewarding jobs in multiple settings. Whether working as the manager of a luxury resort in Cabo San Lucas or overseeing the opening of a funky neighborhood diner in SoHo, earning this degree signals to prospective employers a seriousness and dedication to the field.

Roles in hospitality can pay above-average salaries, especially in management. For example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that lodging managers earned a median annual salary of $65,360 in 2023, while food service managers earned $63,060.

Additionally, the BLS projects 7% growth in the lodging management field between 2022-2032 — faster than the national median projected growth for all careers.

A restaurant management degree can prepare you for many well-paying careers, such as human resources manager, entertaining manager, and lodging manager. The table below reflects the median salary information for these and other positions.

Keep in mind that different factors impact salary, such as education level, geographic location, and years of experience.