5 July 1999 Lincoln Degree Opens Door to Employment in World's Largest Industry

It's the largest industry in the world, employing more people than any other sector and Lincoln University provides an entry qualification second-to-none among national tertiary providers.

It's the hospitality industry and Lincoln University's Bachelor of Commerce degree in Hotel and Institutional Management is the only hospitality degree offered at a university in New Zealand.

"As a fully-fledged Commerce degree this qualification opens the way to management paths right across the hospitality sector," says Senior Lecturer David Short, who heads Hospitality and Services Management Studies within Lincoln University's Commerce Division.

"In considering this degree, prospective students can be sure of a tremendously wide choice of options in front of them when they have completed their studies and graduated.

"The hospitality sector covers a wide range of businesses and often prospective students and parents ask which is the best hospitality programme for them to take up, given the variety and selection available. I always tell them to measure each programme against the following benchmarks:

• How well recognised internationally is the qualification?

• Will the qualification still be of use in 10 years’ time?

• Can the qualification help in getting a job in another sector other than hospitality?

• Will the qualification assist in furthering your studies in the future so that you can continue your career?

"If all of these questions can be answered positively, then the study is worth your time and money. Happily I can say that the Lincoln University qualification fits all of these criteria."

Mr Short points out that the industry which graduates will enter is a very people oriented one.

"You've got to enjoy working with people and solving people's problems. That's why we would recommend including some psychology and sociology in the study programme among the 'electives' or optional papers."

Like most of Lincoln's bachelor's degrees, the Hotel and Institutional Management qualification involves completing 24 papers, five of which are compulsory and common to all of the University's Commerce degrees. These are Computing, Principles of Economics, Elements of Mathematics, Statistics, and Business Financial Administration. Four other compulsory papers are specific to the B.Com. (H & I) and these are Principles of Hotel & Institutional Management, Hotel & Institutional Management Analysis, Strategic Management for Hotels & Institutions, and Advanced Hotel & Institutional Management. Three more papers must be chosen from the fields of Marketing, Human Resources Management, Microeconomics, Accounting, Tourism or Property Management, then the balance can be made up of electives.

The degree also involves completing 16 weeks of practical work in the industry.

For those seeking qualifications beyond bachelor's level, Lincoln now offers a Master of Professional Studies degree in Hotel and Tourism Management.

First offered by Lincoln University in 1993, the B.Com. (Hotel & Institutional Management) programme produced its initial crop of graduates in 1996. Eight graduated that year and numbers climbed rapidly with 28 graduating the following year, 22 in 1998 and 32 this year.

"We receive good reports from employers about our graduates," says Mr Short, "and we know the graduates are working in a broad cross-section of areas within the sector. A number are also working overseas and it's a fact that the degree is very 'portable' and is proving to be well-recognised internationally.

"With a major growth industry like hospitality we envisage that employment opportunities for tertiary qualified personnel can only continue to grow."

Ian Collins, Journalist, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand