Welcome to Career Corner, a regular feature in Cougar News which highlights workforce programs at Collin College. Today, we are looking at Hospitality and Food Service Management.
Each day is different in hospitality management, according to Dr. Eric Tobin, discipline lead for Hospitality and Food Service Management.
“I am not doing the same job every day in a cubicle,” Tobin said. “This field also has great income potential because it is based on your performance, and people receive bonuses in addition to base salaries.”
Tobin said Collin College’s program is unique because students receive hands-on, real-world experience in the field, and they also have the opportunity to glean knowledge from experts in the classroom.
“I bring students to hotels so they can experience, first-hand, what it takes to run a hospitality operation. I did not have that opportunity when I was earning my degree – everything was offered in the classroom. I also bring professionals from the industry to speak in the classroom,” he said.
According to Tobin, this spring Collin College will have a new 2+2 transfer agreement with Texas Tech University for a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) degree in Restaurant, Hotel, and Institutional Management (RHIM). Classes will be taught at the Collin Higher Education Center in McKinney (CHEC).
“Students who have earned their Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in Hospitality and Food Service Management can take classes at CHEC for the Texas Tech University BAAS. This is the first hospitality bachelor’s degree program in Collin County,” he said.
This new articulation agreement could not have come at a better time for Collin College student Jana Vaughan who is pursuing an associate degree in Hospitality and Food Service Management and hopes to transfer to a university to earn a bachelor’s degree in hospitality.
“At Collin College you gain book knowledge but also real-life experience,” said Vaughan, who was recently hired as the executive administrator for the new Virgin Hotels Dallas. “The professors at Collin are so knowledgeable. They teach you to look at the material not as a line employee but as a manager. You are treated like a manager and taught to problem solve as a manager. I have my Collin human resources, legal issues, and facilities management textbooks on my desk at work, and I use them as reference material.”
Vaughan encourages anyone interested in hospitality to take a class and see the possibilities in this field for themselves.
“I was surprised by how many things fit into hospitality. I never considered golf clubs or activity sales, like ziplines or whale sails, as hospitality. I have learned that so many things fit under that hospitality umbrella,” she said.
Career Facts
First-Line Supervisors of Personal Service Workers
- Average Salary: $48,100*
- 22% growth*
Food Service Managers
- Average Salary: $63,000*
- 20% growth*
Lodging Managers
- Average Salary: $62,000*
- 18% growth*
Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners
- Average Salary: $56,100*
- 22% growth*
Program Options
Hospitality and Food Service Management Associate of Applied Science degree (60 credit hours)
Certificate Level 1 – Hotel/Restaurant Management Track (21 credit hours)
Certificate Level 1 – Meeting and Events Management Track (21 credit hours)
The Collin College Hospitality and Food Service Management program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Programs on Hospitality Administration (ACPHA). The Hospitality and Food Service Management program is currently available at the Frisco Campus (Preston Ridge). In fall 2020, it will also be available at the new Wylie Campus.
For more information, visit
http://www.collin.edu/department/ihce/, email Dr. Eric Tobin at etobin@collin.edu, or email workforce-programs@collin.edu.
For more information about workforce programs, check out the information sheets at http://www.collin.edu/academics/info/ or visit http://www.collin.edu/academics/index.html.
For more information about the Texas Tech University BAAS, contact Deanna Calder at TTUCollin@ttu.edu, 972-599-3123, or 806-742-3250.
* Job growth projected from 2019-2025. Data obtained from JobsEQ (Collin County), O*NET,
and Workforce Solutions of North Central Texas.
Note: The earning potential for employees with certifications and associate of applied science
degrees may exceed the average salary