Hospitality and Tourism Leadership Graduate Certificate

Program Details

Next Start Date: May 12

Credit Hours: 9

Course Length: 7 weeks

Estimated Program Length: 12 months

The fully online UWF Graduate Hospitality and Tourism Leadership teaches students how to analyze key elements of complex global hospitality and tourism problems and opportunities and present solutions for organizational success.

Why Study Hospitality and Tourism Leadership at UWF?

The Graduate Hospitality and Tourism Leadership Certificate from the University of West Florida provides students with advanced theoretical concepts to present a defensible recommendation for solutions in the hospitality and tourism industry with a written analysis report and oral presentation of their findings.

The three course curriculum covers strategic leadership, financial analysis and a service marketing experience all within the context of the global hospitality industry. Understand how effective leadership is fundamental in the hospitality and tourism industry, gain specialized accounting techniques applicable to the hospitality industry and examine significant issues facing hospitality and tourism service providers and the successful implementation of a customer focus in service-based businesses.

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What You Will Learn

Through active learning experiences, you will create an effective written analysis report and oral presentation based on the analysis of key elements of a complex global hospitality and tourism problem or opportunity.

By completing this certificate, you will be able to:

Apply advanced theoretical concepts to create solutions in the hospitality and tourism industry
Explore leadership theories to equip you with the necessary skills to apply within hospitality and tourism organizations
Establish relevant analytical and technical proficiency in each core revenue management elements

Courses

Accredited by AACSB International

The UWF Lewis Bear Jr. College of Business is accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Only 6% of business schools worldwide have earned this symbol of the highest standard in management education.

Courses & Requirements

This Hospitality and Tourism Leadership Graduate Certificate requires completion of the following courses with a C or better. Participants must secure a combined grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the course required by the certificate.

Required Courses (9 credit hours)

Students pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Leadership must have completed a bachelor's degree in Hospitality, Tourism or the equivalent.

HMG 5466 - Hospitality Financial Analysis & Revenue Optimization
HMG 5506 - Service Experience Marketing for Hospitality Management
HMG 6224 - Leadership in Hospitality and Tourism

To be considered for admission to the University of West Florida’s online Hospitality and Tourism Leadership Graduate Certificate program, you must be admitted to the University as a graduate non-degree-seeking student.

How to Apply

Once accepted as a graduate non-degree-seeking student, students should contact the MBA department and speak to an advisor about course availability and scheduling. Then, new students should complete the online Graduate Certificate Declaration Form on MyUWF.

Have questions about this program or the admissions process? Contact our graduate admissions team at gradadmissions@uwf.edu. If you are a current UWF student, please reach out to the department academic advisor.

Full Course Descriptions Registration Requirements

Careers & Outcomes

The online Graduate Certificate in Hospitality and Tourism Leadership provides additional career qualification or can lead to professional certification as well as the skills required to become an effective leader in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Job Titles

Director of Food & Beverage
General Manager (Hotel/Resort)
Administrative Services and Facilities Managers
Meeting, Convention and Event Planners
Director of Operations
Tourism Bureau Director
Hospitality Consultant

Career Outlook

Employment of meeting, convention and event planners is projected to grow 7% from 2023 to 2033
The median annual wage for administrative services managers was $106,470 in May 2023 with a 6% projected growth from 2023 to 2033
Employment of lodging managers is projected to grow 7% from 2022 to 2023

Source: BLS, 2025

Tuition Rate Per Credit Hour

Hospitality and Tourism Leadership Online Graduate Certificate Tuition
Component	Cost	Total*
In-state Tuition	$384.60 per credit hour	$3,461.40
Full Out-of-state Tuition	$1,044.24 per credit hour	$9,398.16
90% Out-of-state Tuition	$478.83 per credit hour	$4,309.47

Tuition waivers cover up to 90% of the non-resident portion of your tuition and are available to non-Florida residents (including international students) admitted to online campus programs and registered for online courses in active pursuit of that degree or certificate. You must pay all other assessed tuition and fees. The renewal of Online Campus Out-of-State Tuition Waivers is not automatic. Waiver requests must be submitted every semester and are not retroactive for previous semesters. Review Tuition Waiver Information to learn more.

Time to completion varies by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. Fees are charged per semester unless otherwise noted.

Refer to UWF Cost of Attendance Estimates and Financial Literacy for more information on UWF costs and financial aid.

* Tuition and fees are subject to change.

Alabama, Military & Financial Aid

Alabama Differential Out-of-State Tuition

Residents of Alabama are eligible for Alabama Differential Tuition, a reduced out-of-state tuition rate. To verify residency status for tuition purposes, new undergraduate students should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and new graduate students should contact the Graduate School. Current enrolled students should contact the Office of the Registrar. See more about Tuition Waivers.

Military & Veterans

The UWF Military & Veterans Resource Center (MVRC) serves as the campus advocate for military, dependents and veteran students. Contact the MVRC to learn more about the various military and veteran education assistance or tuition waiver opportunities and eligibility requirements.

UWF Financial Assistance

The University of West Florida provides eligible students with an alternative to paying the full amount of tuition at the beginning of each term in the form of an installment payment plan or a short-term loan. See more about Financial Aid and Education Funding Opportunities.

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