Cal State East Bay Online Hospitality Program Ranks in Top 10 in U.S.
- May 13, 2015
HAYWARD -- Cal State East Bay has earned a spot on the list of top 10 online hospitality management degree programs in the U.S. from the higher education experts at BestColleges.com. The program was developed by Melany Spielman, chair of CSUEB’s Department of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism, who was commended for doing “an excellent job leading the program to success,” by .
CSUEB’s online program, which results in a Bachelor of Science degree in hospitality and tourism, was started at the request of hoteliers who needed educated managers for the thriving hospitality and tourism sector in the Bay Area, Spielman said. The hospitality content is guided by CSUEB faculty member Margaret Zeiger, who has more than 30 years of industry experience and 15 years in teaching.
The program started in CSUEB’s Department of Recreation as an option and grew to become its own degree. It provides hospitality professionals with the opportunity to continue to work in the industry while earning their degree. “Employers from San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and the entire state of California want to help employees earn their degrees, but they need them to stay at their jobs. Online education provides an excellent path to accomplish this challenge,” Spielman said.
The program prepares students to be leaders in a rapidly growing global industry and educates them on service excellence and professional development.
Since the program started, enrollment has grown from 25 students in 2007 to 200 in 2014.
“After seven years, we now have eight tenure-track professors and 14 lecturers serving our students,” Spielman said. “We have the most amazing team that has worked for years in the hospitality, recreation or tourism industries before coming to teaching. It is their knowledge of the industry, the attention they give our students, and our interactive format connecting students to the industry that helps them build their resumes while earning their degrees.”
The Cal State East Bay program was ranked No. 7 on the BestColleges.com list of The Top Online Hospitality Management Programs of 2015. Florida International University was ranked No. 1, followed by University of Massachusetts, Amherst and East Carolina University.
To see the complete listing of the 2015 Top Online Hospitality Management Programs, go to: .
About BestColleges.com
BestColleges.com is a resource for prospective college students. It strives to help students make educated choices about their futures. Through student surveys, faculty surveys, independent research, ranking systems and other sources, BestColleges.com has created a database of schools to help students and their families learn more about options for higher education.