Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management

The Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management at Southern Cross University is a three-year degree for people who want to run hotels, resorts and hospitality businesses, not just work in them. It sits on the Australian Qualifications Framework at bachelor level, which means three years of full-time study, usually delivered across two semesters a year (some universities also use trimesters). You build up units of study, each with a set credit point value, and you need a set number of credit points to graduate. Expect a mix of core business subjects (accounting, marketing, management, law, economics) and hotel-specific ones covering rooms division, food and beverage, revenue management and hospitality operations. The exact unit list changes, so check the official course page for the current structure.

What sets a hotel management degree apart from a general business degree is the industry contact built into it. Hospitality employers hire on demonstrated experience, so work-integrated learning, a professional placement, internship or industry project, is a normal part of the degree. You might spend a semester working in a hotel, resort or events operation, or complete a capstone project where you solve a real operational problem for a hospitality business. Some students take the placement option in their final year and convert it into a graduate role.

Southern Cross has campuses in northern New South Wales and the Gold Coast, regions with a large tourism and accommodation industry, so placement and part-time work options are close by. The skills you finish with are practical: reading a profit and loss statement, rostering staff, managing guest complaints, pricing rooms, running a function, and understanding the legal and safety obligations that come with serving food and alcohol.

This degree suits school leavers who want a business qualification with a clear industry focus, and also people already working in hotels, restaurants or tourism who want to move into supervisory or management roles. International students should note the English requirement, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common undergraduate standard, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the university's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself. While studying, a student visa generally allows 48 hours of work per fortnight, and graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 086102E. Confirm all details on the official page.

• Hotel and resort management, duty manager, front office manager, rooms division manager, operations manager in hotels, resorts and serviced apartments.
• Food and beverage, restaurant manager, banquet and events manager, food and beverage supervisor in hotels, clubs and catering companies.
• Revenue and sales, revenue analyst, reservations manager, sales and marketing coordinator for accommodation groups.
• Tourism and travel, tourism operations coordinator, destination marketing roles with tourism organisations and tour operators.
• Events and functions, event coordinator, conference and exhibition organiser in venues, hotels and event companies.
• Small business and entrepreneurship, owner-operator of cafes, restaurants, boutique accommodation or hospitality consultancies.

Australian employers in these areas include hotel groups, resorts, licensed clubs, restaurants, casinos, event venues, airlines and tourism operators. The degree also feeds into graduate programmes run by larger accommodation chains.