Do you have an interest in providing high quality service in the hospitality industry? Do you have excellent communication skills, interpersonal skills and the ability to work with customers? These are just some of the essential qualities needed to work in hospitality. If you think you have organizational skills, patience and pay attention to detail you might be the perfect fit.
What is Hospitality Studies?
Hospitality Studies focuses on all aspects of the hospitality industry including business, restaurant service, bar service operations, front office, rooms division, accommodation, event organisation and culinary skills.
What third courses are available?
Universities and college in Ireland are offering courses in the following subject areas:
- Hospitality Studies – CIT, WIT
Related:
- Hospitality and Tourism Industry Studies
- Hospitality, Hotel, Bar and Restaurant Studies
Studying Hospitality Studies in college
There are both PLC courses and undergraduate courses available in hospitality. PLC courses are generally one year long while undergraduate courses such as Hospitality Studies will be 2 years long. All courses will provide you with the opportunity to gain skills, knowledge and experience in relevant areas.
Hospitality Studies courses will cover areas from business to restaurant service and culinary skills. Your first year of your undergraduate course will provide you with a strong foundation in the subject and help you to become familiar with many different areas as well as gaining an insight into what you will cover throughout your course. Modules you will cover in your first year will include Accommodation Operations, Practical Cookery Skills, Food and Beverage Operations, Hospitality Facilities, Personal Development, Hospitality Sales and Marketing and many more.
Your second year will introduce you to new areas that may be a bit more complex and will build on all the knowledge you gained from your first year. Modules include Front Office Operations, Practical Cookery Techniques, Intro to Supervising People, Food and Beverage Studies, Themed Event, Hotel Front Office, Beverage Studies, Food and Beverage Control and Event Concepts among many others.
All courses will also incorporate work placement in order to allow you to apply your skills and knowledge practically and become familiar with working in the field. Courses will differ in their exact layouts and module titles but they will all cover the essential and core modules. The above information is based on the Hospitality Studies Level 6 course offered by CIT.
Career options
The tourism industry is quite broad when it comes to jobs and roles. There is a wide variety to choose from. Job examples you can work in include working in hotels, restaurants, licenced premises, accommodation providers, catering and events companies and specialist functions such as reservations, training and human resources.
Another option is to continue on your studies at postgraduate level and specialise in a particular area of your interest in business or hospitality, for example. You may also move into the education and research side of things after gaining some experience in the field.
There are a number of skills and qualities that are necessary in hospitality. These include excellent communication skills, leadership skills, confidence, ability to delegate work and give clear instructions, the ability to work well with others, time management skills, organization skills, attention to detail and the ability to motivate others and remain calm under pressure. You will also need to keep up to date with trends in the hospitality industry.
Related jobs
- Hospitality manager
- Hospitality officer
- Travel manager
- Leisure centre manager
- Hotel manager
- Business and Travel Manager
- Tourism and Hospitality Manager
- Travel Agent
Further Study
Many people want to specialise in a specific area at a master’s level.
Visit postgrad.ie for more information.
FAQ
Different courses and different colleges will have different entry requirements. It’s always safest to check with the individual higher education institution which is available on their websites. As a general rule Leaving Cert students should have a minimum of six subjects which should
include: Two H5 (Higher Level) grades and Four O6 (Ordinary Level) grades or four H7 (Higher Level) grades. Subjects must include Mathematics, Irish or another language, and English.
Certain QQI Awards in a relevant area are also accepted. These change from course to course so be sure to research further.
Points required for the Hospitality Tourism course in 2020 were 163 points in CIT and 529 (AQA) in WIT.
Where can I study?
For other courses in the area you would like to explore, you can do so here.
Did you know?
- Ireland welcomes around 6,400,000 tourists every year.
- Hospitality has a global footprint and annual revenue worth over $500 billion
- In 2020, tourists visiting Ireland were surveyed by Fáilte Ireland with 50% visiting as holiday makers, 39% visiting friends and family, 8% visiting on business and 3% other.
Resources
can a 17 year old do hospitality studies has junior cert no leaving cert