Hospitality & Tourism Management

Whether you decide to work abroad or remain close to home the skills you acquire in the Hospitality and Tourism Management program will prepare you with a solid management focused education allowing you to be employable in many businesses around the world. This unique 15-month accelerated diploma program requires students to complete work experience components along with an applied management residency.

Our students also host a number of industry events on campus throughout their studies and participate in numerous field trips where they receive first hand knowledge from industry professionals! Students wrap up the program with two paid industry work experience terms and a final capstone project to demonstrate their supervisory and management experience while providing customer service excellence to guests.

Recognized as a SMART Accredited Program

Tourism HR Canada, a national organization that works to identify and address labour market issues in the Canadian tourism sector, has recognized Olds College’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program as a SMART accredited program, recognizing the program as one that meets or exceeds industry standards while providing benchmarks that tourism educators can use to assist them in continually improving their programs. Olds College’s Hospitality and Tourism Management program is the first in western Canada to achieve this accreditation.

What will you learn?

By leveraging our relationships with industry associations, professional organizations, and tourism operators, students will experience a diverse range of facilities and services focusing on real-life learning. From leisure, tourism, sporting events, and recreation operations, to mixology, culinary theory and everything in between, students will be immersed in applied, hands on learning. Students will learn to:

Communicate with stakeholders to achieve personal and organizational objectives.
Apply strategic leadership skills to achieve organization objectives.
Analyze business information to make strategic decisions.
Apply resource management skills to achieve organizational objectives.
Apply critical thinking skills to achieve organizational objectives.

Apply professional standards to achieve personal and organizational objectives.
Apply ethical standards to achieve personal and organizational objectives.
Apply the marketing process to achieve organizational objectives.
Utilize business technologies to perform workplace duties.
Apply project management principles to achieve organizational objectives

View Program Outline

Program Details

Now Offering Two Completion Pathways!

Learn More About the Two Pathways

Credential: Diploma

Length of Program: 15 Months OR Two Years

Method of Delivery: Olds Campus

Directed Field Study/Work Term/Practicum: 2 Work Experiences (250 hours each) are completed during the third term of the program.

Program Intakes: Summer Intake (August, 2022)

Program Dates: Please visit our Dates & Schedules page to confirm start and end dates of your desired program and confirm campus closures.

Applications Open: October 1 for the Summer Intake

Selection Process for Admission: First Qualified, First Accepted

Tuition, Mandatory Fees, Books, and Supplies: Please refer to the current Fee Schedule for details.

15-Month Pathway

Year 1: Tuition: $8,530 / Fees: $4,220 / Books & Supplies: $1,140
Year 2: Tuition: $1,510 / Fees: $205 / Books & Supplies: $0

2-Year Pathway:

Year 1: Tuition: $5,520 / Fees: $3,770 / Books & Supplies: $1,140
Year 2: Tuition: $4,015 / Fees: $1,135 / Books & Supplies: $570

* Please note that international students pay 3.5 times the domestic tuition amount. These fees are provided as estimates only for the purposes of budgeting. All students should refer to the Fee Schedule for the most accurate information and all fees are subject to change.*

Admission Requirements:

50% or better in English Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2
50% or better in Math 20-1 or 20-2
Meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement

Academic Upgrading and High School Applicants: Applicants currently in high school or who are completing academic upgrading must submit proof of enrollment and any available interim/midterm marks. Final marks must be submitted within one month following the completion of the course(s) and no later than one month prior to the program start date.

Alternate Admission Option: Alternate Admission status may be offered to applicants who have not or will not complete one of the academic admission requirements. To be considered under Alternate Admission Status, applicants will be asked to provide the following:

(Required) Transcript(s) showing any completed high school and post-secondary courses
(Required) Letter of Introduction and Intent, outlining the following:
- Introduce yourself
- Indicate why you wish to enrol in the program
- Elaborate on your career goals
- Detail your experience relevant to this program and the industry
(Required) A resume of your work history, extracurricular activities, volunteer service, etc. for the last 5 years
(Optional) Include copies of any tickets and/or certificates you currently hold (e.g.: first aid, safety tickets, etc.)
(Optional) Letter(s) of reference from current or past employers/coaches/etc. (maximum of two letters)

*Submitting Alternate Admission material does not guarantee admission*

Out of Province Applicants: Please refer to the Provincial Equivalency Chart for course equivalencies.

International Applicants

Olds College welcomes applications from international applicants and those who have completed their high school education outside of Canada. Please note, it is still necessary to meet all of the noted admission requirements, including English Language Proficiency. Further information can be found on our website under International Students. International Students will require a Study Permit and a Co-Op Work Permit for this program.

International Students in this program will require a Co-Op Permit, a Study Permit and a Social Insurance Number for this program. Learn more on the International Students page.

Directed Field Study Required

Students must complete two Work Experience courses where they will be working in a hospitality & tourism related industry. (Term 4 - HAT 1170 and HAT 2170; 250 hours each)

Career Opportunities

Olds College has a solid reputation working with employers in the industry! This directly translates into jobs for our graduates. Opportunities include, but are not limited to:

Special Events
Food and Beverage
Travel Counselling
Wine Industry
Food Tourism
Cruise Ships
Hospitality Human Resources
Tour Operations
Sport and Adventure Tourism
Hotels and Resorts
Golf Operations
Sales and Conference Services

Visit ALIS to find Occupational Profiles with current wages, industry trends and more!

ALIS Occupational Profiles

Admitted Student Information

Program Dates

Find out when your term start and end dates are, so that you know when you are expected to be in attendance. For more information, please review the Program Dates & Fee Schedule.

Class Registration

You will be registered into your classes automatically. This will happen approximately 1 month prior to the start-date for your program. You will be notified once you have been timetabled into your courses. You will be able to see your class schedule in your My Olds College account. If you need to make any changes to your class registration, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

Technology Recommendation

Please prepare to attend Olds College with the following technology:

A laptop capable of running Microsoft Office is mandatory for this program, as students will be using Microsoft Office programs regularly in lectures and classes.

As part of your student accounts, all students have access to Office 365 for the duration of their time with Olds College. To access this you just need to follow these steps:

Go to portal.office.com
Enter your Olds College email address and password
Once logged in there is a button on the right that says "Install Office Apps"

This will give you access to the full Office suite on your computer, for both Windows and Mac based platforms.

Materials & Supplies:

As part of your curriculum of studies, students will take classes in both our Dining Room and Kitchen. Appropriate uniforms are required for those classes and special events. The dress code will be strictly enforced to ensure that all students maintain the professionalism, safety, and sanitation requirements that are critical to the success of this industry.

While the details of the dress code(s) will be explained in detail on the first day of classes, you will need at some point during the term, to have black closed-toe dress shoes, black dress pants, black dress socks and a black neck tie.

The remaining components of the kitchen and dining room uniforms will be available through the Olds College Campus Store.

Uniforms will need to be clean and pressed whenever you are wearing it, so you may want to consider bringing an iron and ironing board (if you will be living in student housing, there are a limited number of irons and ironing boards available for sign-out).

Additionally, students will sometimes be required to dress in business formal or business casual fashion for special events and field excursions.

Information on other required textbooks and any further supplies will be provided as you attend each class. All books and supplies will be available during the first few weeks of classes in the College Campus Store.

Textbook Order Form

Other Important Information:

Time Requirements: You will participate in numerous field trips where you will get to network with and learn from partners and entrepreneurs in the hospitality and tourism industry. You will also get hands-on experiences through planning and executing a variety of projects, tours, and special events, including a major capstone project. You will also participate in a paid work experience.