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Study Hospitality & Catering, why & how to study

A Hospitality & Catering course could take you all over the world. Find out more about the subject to see if you’d like to study it at uni.

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CONTENTS

  1. What’s Hospitality & Catering?

  2. What Hospitality & Catering degrees can you study?

  3. What do you need to get onto a Hospitality & Catering degree?

  4. What topics does a Hospitality & Catering degree cover?

  5. How will you be assessed?

  6. Why study Hospitality & Catering?

  7. Are scholarships and bursaries available to students studying a Hospitality and Catering degree?
  8. What do Hospitality & Catering graduates earn?

  9. What jobs can you get as a Hospitality & Catering graduate?

  10. What are the postgraduate opportunities?

  11. Similar subjects to Hospitality & Catering

  12. Have any questions?

What’s Hospitality & Catering?

A degree in Hospitality & Catering will show you how to provide the best customer experiences. Working environments could be places like hotels, spas, cruises, airlines and resorts.

You’ll gain extensive business, management and other associated skills needed for this fast-paced industry. Areas you'll learn about include culinary arts, event planning, customer service and operations.

This subject falls under the umbrella of Tourism, Transport, Travel & Heritage Studies. Take a look at the university league table.

What Hospitality & Catering degrees can you study?

Undergraduate Hospitality & Catering degrees on offer in the UK include:

Events Management BA

You can focus on how to organise events of all different sizes and styles, such as weddings, festivals and exhibitions. You’ll learn about things like budgeting, risk management, marketing and coordination.

Find Events Management courses.

Hotel Management BA

This course may be suitable if you want to work in the hotel and accommodation industry. You could be learning about marketing, operations, revenue, staff management housekeeping and more.

Search for Hotel Management courses.

International Hospitality Management BSc

If you’re looking for a broader course, then you can study hospitality on a global scale. You’ll study business practices from across the world and learn about different cultural contexts.

Find International Hospitality Management courses.

Other options

Some universities will offer courses that have:

  • Integrated foundation year
  • Integrated master’s year
  • Professional placements
  • Study abroad opportunities
  1. GO TO
  2. Find a Hospitality & Catering degrees
  3. Types of undergraduate degrees

What do you need to get onto a Hospitality & Catering degree?

Must have

Most undergraduate Hospitality & Catering courses ask for around 96–120 UCAS points. This could include the qualifications below: 

  • A Levels: BBB–CC
  • BTECs: DDM–MMM
  • Scottish Highers: BBBB–DD
  • IB: 30–27

Good to have

  • A Level (or equivalent) business, geography, biology, food science, modern languages or marketing
  • Work experience in a hospitality environment, such as a restaurant 
  1. GO TO
  2. Entry requirements
  3. About UCAS points
  4. Alternatives to A Levels

What topics will a Hospitality & Catering degree cover?

Typical modules for courses in this subject include:

  • Customer experience
  • Food and beverage management
  • Hotel operations
  • People management
  • Leadership skills
  • Event marketing
  • Consumer behaviour
  • Restaurant operations
  • Global business

How will you be assessed?

Depending on your modules, you could be assessed through:

  • Written and practical exams
  • Business reports
  • Case studies
  • Essays
  • Presentations
  • Group projects
  • Placement assessments

Why study Hospitality & Catering?

Career-specific skills:

  • People management
  • Marketing
  • Organising and evaluating events
  • Industry awareness
  • Compliance training
  • Financial analysis

Transferable skills:

  • Self-reflection
  • Leadership
  • Teamwork
  • Communication
  • Working under pressure
  • Customer service
  • Attention to detail
  • Flexibility
  • Cultural awareness

Professional accreditations:

  • Institute of Hospitality
  • Council for Hospitality Management Education (CHME)

Some universities offer students specific scholarships, bursaries, or grants. It’s worth checking if you are eligible, how to apply and what it covers (e.g. materials, tuition fees and/or living costs).

What do Hospitality & Catering graduates earn?

When starting as a Hospitality & Catering graduate, you can expect an entry-level salary of between £22,000 and £24,000. 

The average salary for a hotel manager in the UK is around £32,000. Salaries can be higher than £50,000 for those in management positions in large and prestigious companies.

See what graduates do and earn.

What jobs can you get as a Hospitality & Catering graduate?

Hospitality & Catering graduates work for UK and international hotels, leisure groups, restaurants, food businesses, event management companies and other hospitality organisations.

Examples of roles that graduates go into:

  • Account manager
  • Event planner
  • Food and beverage manager
  • General manager
  • Hotel property project manager
  • Revenue manager
  • Sales and marketing manager
  • Chef
  • Catering manager
  • Cellar technician
  • Business consultant
  • Marketer
  • Wedding planner

What are the postgraduate opportunities?

Examples of postgraduate courses available at universities in the UK:

  • International Hotel Management MSc
  • Hospitality, Leisure, Tourism and Transport PhD
  • Hotel and Food Services Management MSc
  • Tourism and Hospitality ResM 

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