Cornell University

Graduate SchoolGraduate School

Graduate SchoolFields of Study

Hotel Administration Ph.D. (Ithaca)

Field of Study

Hotel Administration

Program Description

A Ph.D. in the SC Johnson College of Business is a research-focused degree in one of our main faculty areas of specialization as listed below. These are disciplines that are key to any business and are taught at different course levels by expert faculty in each of our three schools. The choice of which of our three school-oriented fields of study to apply into depends on your interests and long-term plans. A Ph.D. in the Dyson School’s Applied Economics and Management field has a strong economics focus in its coursework, a Ph.D. in the Nolan School’s Hotel Administration field applies core business disciplines to hospitality contexts, and a Ph.D. in the Johnson School’s Management field appeals to students pursuing traditional business topics. Students in all three fields regularly work with faculty from across the entire college. 

The Nolan School of Hotel Administration’s highly competitive PhD program is a research-focused degree grounded in the core business disciplines as applied to hospitality contexts. The program is designed for students interested in pursuing a career teaching hospitality management, service management, or real estate in a university setting and conducting groundbreaking research in hospitality and related fields.

As part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, PhD students in the field of Hotel Administration have many opportunities to collaborate across schools, where our faculty work and innovate together in targeted disciplines through faculty areas in:

  • Applied Economics and Policy (Real Estate)
  • Accounting
  • Finance 
  • Management and Organizations
  • Marketing and Management Communication
  • Operations, Technology, and Information Management
  • Services Management 
  • Strategy and Business Economics

To learn more about the PhD programs in the SC Johnson College of Business and our targeted discipline areas and research faculty, please visit the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Website.

Contact Information

Website: https://sha.cornell.edu/admissions-programs/graduate/ms-phd/
Email: jcb-phd@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-5430

253 Statler Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY  14853

Concentrations by Subject

  • financial management
  • food and beverage management
  • hospitality management
  • hotel accounting
  • hotel administration
  • human resource management
  • marketing
  • properties asset management (minor)
  • real estate management (minor)

Tuition

Visit the Graduate School's Tuition Rates page.

Application Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadlines:

Fall: Dec 15 for application and supporting documents

Requirements Summary:

Applicants for the field of Hotel Administration PhD program will have earned a master’s degree from an accredited university or a bachelor’s degree from Cornell’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. Also required:

Admission is offered for fall enrollment only. A personal interview is by invitation only after review of the application.

Learning Outcomes

Students will become cutting-edge scholars in hospitality management and related fields:

  • Students will exhibit mastery of the methodological tools and techniques required for scholarly advancement in their subject of study.
  • Students will exhibit a mastery of the literature in their base discipline.
  • Students will exhibit a mastery of the literature in hospitality relevant to their base discipline.
  • Students will exhibit the ability to critically evaluate the work of other scholars.
  • Students will demonstrate the ability to develop and execute a novel research agenda.
  • Students will learn how to apply disciplinary knowledge to particular business and social problems

Students will become effective communicators and teachers:

  • Students will exhibit the ability to plan and deliver well-constructed course materials on topics relevant to their base discipline and the field of hospitality using the best pedagogical practices.
  • Students will exhibit the ability to communicate in writing and orally original research for scholarly and practitioner audiences.

Students will seek out opportunities for professional career development

  • Students will participate in scholarly activities including but not limited to seminars and conference presentations.
  • Students will contribute, wherever possible, to the discourse of the scholarly discipline through collaborative projects with faculty and peer mentors.

Students will possess an ethical perspective and a service orientation

  • Students will learn how to conduct research that exhibits research integrity and compliance with professional and institutional standards.
  • Students will engage in service activities that foster a diverse, respectful, collaborative scholarly community.