School of Hotel Administration

About the school

Founded in AD 1865, the Cornell University - School of Hotel Administration has proved its excellence in redefining the administration in hospitality. Being the first and only Ivy League University, it undoubtedly is the best hospitality school in the United States of America. A school that has created leaders in the field for ages. Built on a solid real estate curriculum, the graduates develop strong business acumen that helps them take the front row in the industry. The Masters in Hospitality Management (MMH) degree is specially curated to ensure a beautiful amalgamation of business education with hospitality. The courses are designed in a way that not only enhances your academic and professional skills but also acts as a personal support. With its unique course structure, the School of Hotel Administration prepares the students to take centre stage when they enter the industry after completing their degree.

Where is the school located?

The School of Hotel Administration is located in Ithaca, New York. Being home to Cornell University, a name in the Ivy League and two other colleges nearby, this place attracts thousands of students from all around the globe.

Life at School of Hotel Administration

The school creates a diverse culture, significantly impacting the atmosphere. Students come from diverse backgrounds with a common passion for hospitality, which helps bring different viewpoints, providing a much broader insight into the industry. As a master's student, one has the opportunity to interact with many well-established alumni in the industry, as they are often invited as guest speakers. The alumni meet on and off-campus events often serve as an excellent source of growing the personal network with renowned Hotelies who are leading the various sectors of the industry currently.

Additional benefits of studying at School of Hotel Administration

Various hospitality-related hackathons conducted on and off campuses allow the students to learn the core subjects with a better understanding. They are a part of the student's curriculum to ensure they have hands-on experience in the industry even before landing there. The School of Hotel Administration also offers additional benefits to the students enrolled in the masters programme. Since the students are also part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business and the Cornell Graduate School, one can always collaborate at Cornell if anyone is interested in technology, family business, or even agriculture.

Admissions criteria

The application for the master’s programme occurs in three rounds. Students from outside the USA are often encouraged to apply during the first three rounds, viz., 1 December, 15 January and 1 March. Even though there is a fourth round conducted on 15 April, it is mainly recommended for students from the USA. The admission process involves the following steps: Submit a detailed academic statement of purpose Create a personal statement within 300 to 500 words providing details about your background and experiences that influenced you to pursue a master's degree Academic transcripts, including bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. The transcripts should contain all the courses taken, the grades received, and the date the degree was conferred A GMAT or GRE score is a must-have for enrolling into this programme. In case the tests were taken more than once, the one with the highest score is to be mentioned Two letters of recommendation – one from the current supervisor who can attest to the work-related skills and the other from a professional source Even though not mandatory, a resume is highly preferred in the master's programme

After submitting the application, a video interview will be conducted where some pre-recorded questions are to be answered For international students, the applicants are required to follow the below steps in addition to the ones mentioned above: A bachelor's degree from an accredited or international university is required. The candidates must match their degree with the list on the school's website to check their eligibility English language proficiency is mandatory. The candidates can submit the official TOEFL, IELTS Academic or Duolingo English Test Scores. The test scores should be sent directly by the testing centres only for them to be accepted. If, due to COVID-19, a safe in-person option is unavailable, one can also submit the results from IELTS Online, IELTS Indicator or TOEFL IBT Home Edition The candidates need to fill out a financial responsibility form that states the student can cover the cost of the master's programme

Job placements following Masters programmes

Passing from an Ivy League University lands you in some of the best jobs in the industry. As per the data for the class of 2022, 84% of the students received full-time offers within 6 months of graduation, and 76% of the students accepted it The class of 2022 received an average base salary of $87, 678 while for the US work authorised graduates, it was $91,977 The average signing bonus for the same batch was $8,857 The batch of 2022 had its students get hired across multiple verticals, out of which the hospitality industry offered the highest median salary of $100,000