About

The Penn State School of Hospitality Management traces its origins to 1937 when it began as an outgrowth of Institutional Management, originally known as the Hotel Administration program, making it one of the oldest hospitality programs in the United States and highlighting Penn State’s early commitment to professional education in this field. Throughout the 1950s, the curriculum expanded to include professional courses in business, accounting, chemistry, and food?related concepts, with an increasing emphasis on management that helped improve operational techniques and facility design. In the 1960s, the program evolved to offer two separate majors—Commercial Food Service and Institutional Resident Management—reflecting the diversification of hospitality education, and the 1970s saw major curricular revisions that further modernized the academic offerings. By the 1980s, the program had grown into the Department of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, and in 1987 the department was upgraded to the School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management, accompanied by the establishment of the Walter J. Conti Visiting Professorship Program. The 1990s brought a new home for the School in the Mateer Building on the University Park campus, a state?of?the?art facility equipped with research and teaching kitchens, laboratories, Cafe Laura, and modern learning spaces. In 2005 the School was renamed the School of Hospitality Management, expanded its international study opportunities, introduced new focuses such as gaming and casino management, and strengthened industry partnerships, while continuing to update its curriculum and facilities to prepare students for success in a global hospitality industry and celebrate its legacy as a prestigious leader in hospitality education.

Industries Served

Hospitality, Tourism, Hotel & Lodging, Food Service & Restaurants, Event Management, Gaming & Casinos, Resorts & Clubs, Culinary Arts, Sustainable Tourism