The Double-Edged Sword of the Hospitality Graduate Degree Debate
Photo Credit: Many hotel employees, such as hotel managers, seek graduate education to help themselves stand out in companies. Flickr / Holiday Extras
Skift Take
Hotels say they're supportive of graduate education and offer tuition benefits for employees, but not having a head count of how many hold advanced degrees says something about how they actually track professional development. Ultimately, like most other industries, seniority is the biggest factor for climbing the ladder.
Many college undergraduate students reach a point in their academic careers when they begin weighing the pros and cons of graduate school.
Some fields require advanced degrees, while others let employees choose what's best for them.
Hospitality degrees are still new concepts in an industry that's traditionally made employees work their way up the totem pole to senior management positions. Still, some employees pursue graduate education with hopes that it will make them stand out from the pack.
The question remains: what do hotels think about this?
Hospitality graduate degree programs say hoteliers aren't their biggest fans, even though these degrees often help employees distinguish themselves among their colleagues.
"Hotel companies don’t necessarily embrace graduate education," said Elizabeth Barber, associate dean of Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management.
"This is an industry where a graduate degree has never been important. My percep
