Applications for the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship in Hospitality and Tourism Management will be considered from students enrolled in a graduate degree program at Virginia Tech and from non-degree and Commonwealth Campus students who have undergraduate degrees. Certificates will be awarded upon application for the certificate once course requirements have been completed. The certificate has been designed so that both degree and non-degree seeking students from other majors may take the three courses within one semester and complete the certificate.
New entrepreneurs often possess innovative ideas but lack the business skills that will make them successful. Entrepreneurs differ from other business start-ups in that they are creating a unique and ground-breaking approach to a business. They have unique approaches, different business models, and/or innovative delivery techniques. The purpose of this certificate is to provide students with the specific tools and skills required to prepare them to engage in entrepreneurial activities in Hospitality and Tourism management. Specifically, this certificate will help students create a business plan that includes the financial, human resource, and leadership components vital for their success. What makes the program unique is the inclusion of an optional franchising course to provide students with the expertise needed to consider moving beyond their initial start-up to becoming a franchise in the future.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
· Create a business plan tailored to entrepreneurial endeavors in Hospitality and Tourism Management;
· Analyze the practical leadership, marketing, financial, and production considerations for a variety of entrepreneurial initiatives for both new ventures and established firms in Hospitality and Tourism Management;
· Analyze and critique both past and current approaches to entrepreneurial leadership;
· Analyze human resources issues relevant to entrepreneurial activities in hospitality and tourism management;
· Apply the processes, practices and legal considerations of entrepreneurial endeavors in hospitality and tourism to real-time cases;
· Analyze and critique the various approaches to franchise concept development, the franchisor-franchisee relationship, franchise agreements, operational problems, and international franchising;
· Apply fundamentals of financial management to cases of entrepreneurial hotels, restaurants, institutions and similar service opportunities