Hospitality Administration Ph.D.

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.

Admission Requirements

The student must satisfy the minimum admission requirements of the Graduate College and the Harrah Hotel College including:

1. Completed online application found in the upper right-hand column of the Graduate College home page and payment of required application fee.
2. Official transcripts sent directly from all educational institution(s) attended after high school are required by both the Graduate College and the Harrah Hotel College Graduate Studies Office. Unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to the online application. Please 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 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 should be sent to both the UNLV Graduate College and the Harrah Hotel Graduate Studies Office.
3. 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.
4. An overall GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale for all work completed at the post-baccalaureate level.
5. Three or more years of management/supervisory experience in the hospitality industry.
6. GRE or GMAT test results sent directly from the testing center to the Harrah Hotel College Graduate Studies Office. Students must make a satisfactory composite score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) (dept code 5199), minimum score 1150 or 50th percentile—with at least 35% on the verbal portion; on the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) (dept code ZSC 37-32), minimum score 550.
7. A statement of 500 words outlining what the applicant expects to accomplish during the Ph.D. program and his/her particular research interests.
8. Current resume (must have three or more years of management/supervisory experience in the hospitality industry).
9. Three Letters of Recommendation are required. 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.
10.  A master’s level thesis or the equivalent.

TOEFL:                                       Paper-based Test: 550 (minimum writing score: 58) 

Computer-based Test: 213 (minimum writing score: 24)

Internet-based Test: 80 (minimum writing score: 21, minimum speaking score: 21).

Michigan Test:                           85% (minimum scores: 40 out of 50 speaking,

40 out of 50 writing)

IELTS:                                        7

Pearson English Language Test: 65