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Hospitality representative education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a hospitality representative. Hospitality representatives usually study business, marketing, or communication. 77% of hospitality representatives hold a bachelor's degree, and 8% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,269 real hospitality representative resumes to see exactly what hospitality representative education sections show.

The most common colleges for hospitality representatives are the West Virginia University and the West Virginia University.

There are also many online hospitality representative courses to help get the education required to be a hospitality representative.

There are certain hospitality representative certifications that you should consider. These hospitality representative certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

What education do you need to become a hospitality representative?

What degree do you need to be a hospitality representative?

The most common degree for hospitality representatives is bachelor's degree, with 77% of hospitality representatives earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 8% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 77%
  • Master's, 8%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 5%
  • Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a hospitality representative?

You should major in business to become a hospitality representative. 25% of hospitality representatives major in business. Other common majors for a hospitality representative include marketing and communication.

Most common colleges for hospitality representatives

Hospitality representatives often get their degrees at West Virginia University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Kent State University. Here are the most common colleges for hospitality representatives in the US based on their resumes.
Hospitality representative common collegePercentages
West Virginia University8.13%
Southern Illinois University Carbondale6.50%
Kent State University6.50%
Michigan State University5.69%
Florida State University5.69%

Best majors for hospitality representatives

RankMajorPercentages
1Business24.9%
2Marketing12.5%
3Communication7.2%
4Psychology6.9%
5Biology6.7%

Best colleges for hospitality representatives

The best colleges for hospitality representatives are University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Stanford University.

A hospitality representative with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for hospitality representatives. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become hospitality representatives.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Enrollment

9,394

3. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. SUNY College at Plattsburgh

Plattsburgh, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,369

Enrollment

5,229

6. Baylor University

Waco, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$45,542

Enrollment

14,159

7. SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,570

Enrollment

3,721

8. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

9. SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,360

Enrollment

3,142

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

20 best online courses for hospitality representatives

Advertising disclosure

1. Hotel Management: Distribution, Revenue and Demand Management

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Market hospitality services, manage demand, and optimize revenue.\n\nThis Specialization covers the basics of hotel demand management, distribution, and revenue management. You’ll learn how e-commerce intermediaries such as online travel agencies are impacting the already-complex hospitality sector, and you’ll explore tools and techniques that will help you effectively market hospitality services and maximize business revenue in this new global industry landscape. In the final Capstone Project,...

2. International Marketing & Cross Industry Growth

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This Specialization covers marketing concepts but, more importantly, emphasizes the need by companies and individuals to think openly across international markets and industries for new ideas or expansion. This is summarized as "Cross Country & Cross Industry" Innovation, or CCCI in short. The first two courses will establish the core foundations and then the last three courses will elaborate on major global industry clusters: course 3 on B2B, course 4 on Healthcare and Hospitality, and course...

3. TripAdvisor Domination For Hospitality & Hotel Management

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Hotel Management: Improve Your Trip Advisor Ranking And get more Customers in 2021...

4. Customer Service Mastery: Delight Every Customer

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Master Customer Service using this practical customer care course...

5. Salesforce Sales Development Representative

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If you’ve always wanted a rewarding career, the tech sales industry may be the path for you. If you’re an ambitious problem-solver who likes to win, you’ll find tech sales not only fulfilling, but lucrative as well. As the tech industry continuously introduces innovative services and products, tech sales roles have become more crucial than ever. SDRs are in the front lines of the tech biz, connecting with customers and clients, and coming up with the smartest solutions for their problems. Sales...

6. Traditional herbal medicine in supportive cancer care: From alternative to integrative

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Please join us for an exciting and innovative journey, examining one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of the oncology setting: Traditional Herbal Medicine in Supportive Cancer Care. This course is presented with short lectures offering a wide range of issues related to the principles and practice of herbal medicine in cancer care. The course includes interviews with leading world experts from the field of Integrative Oncology, from the U.S. and Canada, as well as Europe, the...

7. Product Marketing for Technology Companies

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Master your product marketing skills through practical examples and exercises...

8. Customer Service, Customer Support, And Customer Experience

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Customer service, customer support, and customer experience training. Loyal clients through world-class customer service...

9. Infectious Disease Modelling

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Mathematical modelling is increasingly being used to support public health decision-making in the control of infectious diseases. This specialisation aims to introduce some fundamental concepts of mathematical modelling with all modelling conducted in the programming language R - a widely used application today.\n\nThe specialisation will suit you if you have a basic working knowledge of R, but would also like to learn the necessary basic coding skills to write simple mathematical models in...

10. Customer Service Fundamentals: Putting People First

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Customer Care Listening Great Customer Service Concern for Others Company Culture Engaging People Responding...

11. [2023] Customer Service 2.0: Learn Digital Customer Service

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Used by Chase®, Intel®, & more! Learn soft skills, social media customer service, diagnosing user problems, & more...

12. Customer Service

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How to Approach New Customers and Maintain Existing Ones...

13. Start Improving Customer Service

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Creating a Customer Service advantage in Your department or business through communication and Customer Management...

14. Successful Events: Event Planning, Marketing & Management

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Create a single successful event or event-series with effective event promotion, planning, management, and monetization...

15. Dealing With Angry Customers

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Skills and Techniques for Handling Most Customer Situations...

16. Customer Service & Support For Customer Service Executives

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Learn Customer Service Skills & Provide Excellent Customer Support, Customer Experience & How To Manage Upset Customers...

17. Customer Service Success: Take Your Skills to the Next Level

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3-in-1 Customer Service Training: Levels 1, 2, 3 Improve Your Soft Communication Skills, Customer Support & Experience...

18. Outstanding Customer Service - The Ultimate Guide!

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Unlocking the Powerful Secrets of OUTSTANDING Customer Service - Transform Your Business!...

19. Bar Manager Training Course - 8 Areas of Focus For Success

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Increase your knowledge and insight into the world of Bar & Hospitality Management & be successful in your future...

20. Customer Service Foundation

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An introductory course about understanding the foundations of Customer Service...

Top 10 most affordable universities for hospitality representatives

The most affordable schools for hospitality representatives are SUNY Farmingdale, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for hospitality representatives are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for hospitality representatives.

1. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

2. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

6. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

7. SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Utica, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,238

Cost of attendance

21,567

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

10. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for hospitality representatives

The hardest universities for hospitality representatives to get into are University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Stanford University.

Some great schools for hospitality representatives are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for hospitality representatives based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

6. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

Admissions rate

40%

SAT average

1,376

10. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for hospitality representatives

The easiest schools for hospitality representatives to get into are Barry University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a hospitality representative without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for hospitality representatives.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

10. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

Average hospitality representative salary by education level

Hospitality representatives with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $46,319 annually. With a Doctorate degree, hospitality representatives earn a median annual income of $44,335 compared to $41,173 for hospitality representatives with an Bachelor's degree.
Hospitality representative education levelHospitality representative salary
Master's Degree$46,319
High School Diploma or Less$30,536
Bachelor's Degree$41,173
Doctorate Degree$44,335
Some College/ Associate Degree$31,810

Hospitality representative education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.