Doctor of Philosophy - Hospitality Administration

Plan Description

The Ph.D. program is a multi-conceptual and research-based degree program designed to produce top quality hospitality and tourism educators and researchers. It focuses on preparing students to be excellent teachers at the university level, and engages them in scholarly research in hospitality and tourism management. Upon graduation, students will be able to teach and conduct research at the university level, and work at industry research institutions. The Ph.D. program is highly competitive, seeking motivated individuals who are committed to pursuing academic and research careers in hospitality and tourism. The program is partly supported by the Ace Denken Co. Ltd. Endowment.​

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degree Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

The student must satisfy the minimum admission requirements of the Graduate College and the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

Applicants need to meet the following requirements below to be considered for the program.

1. Master’s degree from an accredited institution with at least 24 credits in hotel administration, food service administration, tourism-convention administration, or a closely aligned field. It is preferred that applicants have completed a thesis-based master’s program.
2. An overall GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale for all work completed at the post-baccalaureate level.
3. A minimum of one year of full-time work experience in a management/supervisory capacity in the hospitality industry, or three years of full-time, front-line experience is preferred.

To apply, applicants must submit the following materials by the application deadline to be considered for admission into the program.

1. Complete and submit the online UNLV Graduate College admissions application and pay the required admission application fee.
2. Submit all post-secondary transcripts from all institutions attended. Unofficial copies of these transcripts must be uploaded into the online application system. Note: it is a requirement of the UNLV Graduate College that students with class credits and/or degrees from educational institutions outside the United States must provide a course-by-course evaluation of those credentials by a Graduate College approved NACES Evaluation Agency. This is to obtain an evaluation of the courses, verification of degrees, and establish accreditation of the schools and/or universities. A copy of this evaluation must be uploaded into the online application system by the application deadline.
3. International applicants must submit the results of the TOEFL or IELTS as evidence of English proficiency.Test scores must be less than two years old at the time of application in order to be valid. For more information, visit UNLV English Proficiency . Students who are completing a master’s degree at an institution in the United States must submit a copy of their TOEFL or IELTS scores at the time they applied to that institution.
4. Submit either GRE or GMAT scores. A satisfactory composite score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (UNLV institution code 4861), with a preferred score of 155 on the quantitative portion and 148 on the verbal portion of the exam. Or, the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) (UNLV institution code 71T, Harrah College of Hospitality College code 71T-TD-68), preferred score of 550 with at least 25% on the verbal portion. Applicants are required to submit exams scores that have been completed within the last 5-years by the application deadline.
5. Submit a two-page Statement of Purpose that addresses the following: why you want to earn a PhD, your research interests, and what faculty you are interested in working with and why.
6. Submit a resume or CV that outlines research experience, conferences, published papers, internships, full-time employment in the field of hospitality, and leadership experiences.
7. Submit three Letters of Recommendation. It is preferred that these letters come from two college faculty members and one current or former employer. However, recommendations from one faculty member and two employers will suffice.
8. Applicants must complete the KIRA Virtual Interview. After submitting the UNLV Graduate College admissions application, applicants will receive an email invitation from KIRA Talent to complete a virtual interview. This invitation will be sent to the applicant’s email address that was provided in his or her admission application. KIRA interview submissions MUST be completed no later than 5 days after application deadline.
9. Applicants may be required to participate in an online recorded video, Skype, or other personal interview at no cost to the applicant.
10. All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements.

Applicants must submit all application materials by the application deadline through the online application system to be considered by the admission committee.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

Total Credits Required: 60

Plan Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
2. The student must submit and successfully defend his/her dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
3. After the dissertation defense, the student must electronically submit a properly formatted pdf copy of their dissertation to the Graduate College for format check. Once the dissertation format has been approved by the Graduate College, the student will submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest. Deadlines for dissertation defenses, format check submissions, and the final ProQuest submission can be found here.