Best Online Hospitality Management Programs of 2025

The hospitality management field is growing rapidly. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that by 2033 1 in 8 jobs will be in the leisure and hospitality sector — that’s more than 800,000 new jobs.

An online hospitality management degree prepares you to run the business side of hotels, restaurants, and tourism. These programs offer comprehensive training in event planning, customer service, and food service management, all through a remote format.

Once you graduate with this degree, you could work as an event planner, food service manager, lodging manager and revenue manager, among other roles.

Read on to learn more about the top online hospitality management programs and how this degree can help you advance your career in the industry.

Source: NCES PowerStats

As you research programs, evaluate tuition cost, financial availability, and program length. You should also consider the career paths you can pursue after graduation to make sure the hospitality industry is the right fit for you.

Weighing these factors can help you make the right choice before enrolling.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), bachelor’s degrees in business, management, and marketing (which includes hospitality management) cost around $10,400 per year in 2019-2020. That’s nearly $42,000 for a four-year program.

Fortunately, financial aid like grants and scholarships can reduce the cost to around $9,200 yearly — $37,000 total for a four-year degree.

Remember that this data is based on the 2019-2020 school year. Also, tuition rates vary based on your in-state vs. out-of-state status and whether you attend a public or private college.

For example, in-person students without financial aid paid around $25,000 more for their bachelor’s in hospitality management degrees than online students during the 2019-2020 school year.

If you’re interested in learning more about tuition rates and financial aid, make sure to visit your desired school’s website. There, you can find detailed information or contact details for the relevant office or person who can answer your questions.

Unless you enroll in an accelerated bachelor’s program, you’ll spend around four years completing your online hospitality management degree program as a full-time student.

Most bachelor’s programs require students to earn 120 credits, which equals around 30 credits per year. You can speed up this timeline by taking summer classes, transferring credits, and earning credit for life and work experience.

Once you graduate, you can get a job as a food service manager. According to the BLS, these professionals earned a median annual salary of $63,060 in May 2023. In this role, you’ll organize the daily operations of restaurants or other establishments that prepare and serve food and beverages.

You can also work as a lodging manager, ensuring that guests have a satisfying experience. Lodging managers earned a median of $65,300 per year in May 2023, per the BLS.

For those who prefer variety over a fixed workplace, event planning offers the chance to coordinate and oversee different types of events. These workers earned a median annual wage of $56,900 as of May 2023.

Source: BLS

A hospitality management degree can be worthwhile if you want to develop business and customer service skills that can open leadership opportunities within the industry.

Beyond the skills you’ll learn, you may also want to consider the degree’s return on investment. You can determine this by comparing the cost of your degree against the salary you expect to earn once you graduate.

The average starting salary for people with bachelor’s degrees in hospitality management was around $48,000 in 2023, per the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). However, remember that your wages will vary depending on location, experience level, and the particular sector you work in.

After you earn a bachelor’s, you can go after an advanced degree, such as a master of science in hospitality management, a master of management in hospitality, or a master’s in hospitality administration.

With a master’s degree, you can earn a higher starting salary since these programs provide further industry knowledge and networking opportunities.