Slippery Rock University will begin offering a master’s degree in hospitality and tourism management beginning this fall.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education approved the Master of Science program on Monday.
This is the first master’s degree in this discipline offered at state system schools. Organizers say it was created in response to industry growth.
Pennsylvania ranks ninth in the country in tourism industry employment, according to the U.S. Travel Association.
Slippery Rock University’s Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management degree was one of five new degree programs approved Monday by Karen Whitney, interim chancellor for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
The other new degrees receiving approval included:
-Associate in Applied Science in Culinary Arts at Indiana University.
-Bachelor of Science in Public Relations at Kutztown University.
-Master of Science in Information Technology at Bloomsburg University.
-Educational Specialist in School Psychology at Indiana University.
“This latest round of program approvals further demonstrates the strides we have made as we move forward in redesigning the State System to be more agile and more responsive to the needs of our students and their future employers,” Whitney said. “People ask me how our system redesign efforts are helping students, and all I have to do is point to this growing list of high-demand programs.”
In January, the State System board of governors granted the chancellor the authority to approve new academic programs once they were submitted by the universities and reviewed by staff in the Office of the Chancellor. Previously, new programs had to be approved by the board, which meets regularly only four times a year.
The accelerated degree-approval process includes the same rigorous review necessary to ensure new programs meet all appropriate standards, including those set by professional organizations that establish accreditation criteria.
