Hospitality and Tourism Management - Associate of Applied Science
The Hospitality and Tourism Management Program is a new program created to answer the growing demand for managers in the hospitality, hotel, resort, and tourist destination industries in VHCC’s service region. Southwest Virginia had the fastest-growing tourism industry in the Commonwealth in 2024 due to the unique hospitable culture, history, music, and natural resources of the area, and is predicted to continue to lead the state as more tourists experience all that the Appalachian Highlands have to offer.
As a result, graduates with this Associate of Applied Science degree will be able to step into first-level management positions as front desk managers, shift managers, food and beverage managers, catering managers, hospitality sales associates, event planners, and culinary managers.
The degree includes two pathways that will enable students to focus on the particular career that interests them: Tourism and Hotel Management or Culinary Arts. Of the approved program electives, VHCC will only teach the degree electives that support the Tourism and Hotel Management pathway. Students wishing to pursue careers in restaurants, food and beverage management, or catering will be able to earn those credits via Dual Enrollment Culinary Arts programs offered at Virginia High School, the Washington County Career Center, and Smyth County Technical Center.