Culminating Project (HOA 786)

(Curriculum starting Fall 2022)

Students starting in Fall 2023 will be required to take HOA 786: Culminating Project course after completing all core coursework. The culminating project course provides students the opportunity to address a hospitality topic.

Students will demonstrate their ability to research, analyze, integrate, synthesize, and apply the knowledge and skills acquired during their academic core course work.

(Curriculum prior to Fall 2022)
HOA 788: Professional Paper

HOA 788 (curriculum prior to Fall 2022) is completed in the students final semester. The culminating project provides students the opportunity to address a hospitality question or issue of their interest. Students should be thinking of a potential industry problem they would like to solve while completing their course work.

Students will demonstrate their ability to research, analyze, integrate, synthesize, and apply the knowledge and skills acquired during their academic course work and industry experiences. The topic must address a real-world hospitality problem with a viable solution.

Examples of appropriate hospitality culminating projects are:

  • Business Plans or Feasibility Studies
  • Professional Papers (final chapter results in one of the following):
    • Training Manuals
    • Policies & Procedures Manuals
    • Re-engineering processes for a major functional area of a hospitality organization
    • Improving the customer experience for an existing product or service
    • Case Studies
    • Risk Management Plans
    • Surveys

The final project will be a written document that is at the level and quality required to be presented to a bank (i.e. business plan or feasibility study) or the executive management of a hospitality organization. All students will also be required to create and present their project in an executive summary presentation. The written paper follows the requirements below:

  • Requires a review of existing research (chapters 1 and 2)
  • Results in a product/solution (chapter 3)
  • Must be in APA format that includes references

The HOA 788 course requires students to secure a faculty chair. Students who are in the final semester must complete the HOA 788 Professional Paper Form and secure the required electronic signatures. Once the completed form is submitted the Hospitality Office of Graduate Programs, the student will be granted permission to register for the course. Once permission is granted to register, it is the student’s responsibility to register for the course prior to the start of the semester.