Students who choose the emphasis in hospitality administration will find that there is a high demand for entry-level managers in the hospitality industry. These positions are found in hotels, cruise lines, convention centers, catering operations, schools, hospitals, airlines, prisons, commercial food operations, and other places.
Professionals in hospitality administration meet the growing needs of Americans who are traveling more and eating more food away from home. In this career, you will be expected to display excellent managerial and administrative skills in handling both physical and personnel resources. To view more information on career opportunities in the field of Hospitality Administration, please see our Career Opportunities in Hospitality Brochure.
If you choose a career in dietetics, you will be entering the vast health care industry. In recent years, major changes have been seen with a greater emphasis on health promotion, disease prevention, and the utilization of service delivery systems beyond the traditional hospital setting. You will be working as part of a health-care team in using nutrition both to treat and prevent disease.
Students completing the nutrition and dietetics emphasis may also enter positions in public health and other community programs, as well as sales, development, or public relations work in the food industry.
To view more information on career opportunities in the field of nutrition and dietetics, please see our Career Opportunities Brochure.
Dietetics has a strong and steady demand that is expected to continue with increases slightly higher than the average for all professions through the first years of the next decade. Other nutrition-related positions continue to be in demand, but because they are diverse and dispersed among numerous industries, they may require longer searches to find just the right position. Hospitality administration enjoys an extremely high demand that is forecast to continue well into the new century.
Students may start their programs at community colleges or other institutions. Because a 4-5 semester sequence is necessary to complete the major, it is advisable to meet with an NIU adviser to identify the most advantageous time for transfer.
Yes. You should be aware, however, that this is a tightly sequenced major that includes numerous courses offered only once a year. Finishing in 4 years will require working closely with your advisor.
If your goal is hospitality administration, you should have work experience in the field. Part-time jobs in the university foodservice or in local restaurants or lodging establishments will be considered useful, especially if you have been able to have a variety of experiences. Your first professional position may provide intensive training and orientation in an establishment, but no advanced degree will be required to enter this professional area.
If your goal is a career in dietetics, you should plan to become a registered dietitian. This will require that after completion of your baccalaureate degree you apply for admission to and complete a dietetic internship. Acceptance into an internship is competitive, based on grade point average and other factors. Upon completion of your 12 month internship, you will take the registration examination for dietitians.
Although entry-level positions in dietetics are readily available with the baccalaureate degree plus the internship or practice program, your long-range plans may include a master's degree. Increasingly, dietitians are completing advanced degrees.
For additional information on Dietetic internships, please see the Dietetic Internship page of this website.
You can work as a manager in the hospitality industry in any of the numerous places where people are traveling or eating outside the home: restaurants of all kinds, conference centers, catering operations, resorts, cruise lines, airlines, workplaces, prisons, schools, among others. Expect to start at the assistant management level. As you gain experience, you may become a manager, director, head of training, or head of personnel in a hospitality facility. If, as you acquire further experience and/or advanced education, you choose to work in the corporate headquarters of a large chain, you expect an administrative position in marketing, public relations, personnel/human relations, franchising, management information systems, education and training, or consulting. Or you can operate your own foodservice or hospitality facilities and be in charge of it all!
If you haven't already done so, please look at our brochure: Careers Opportunities in Hospitality
Yes, you can complete both emphases. To do this officially, you need to complete an application. Your advisor can help you with this. Students who elect this practical option usually declare their major officially in Nutrition and Dietetics and pick up the extra courses for the emphasis in Hospitality Administration. The two emphases dove-tailed very efficiently and provide enhanced career options.
A minor in business is not required, but many students elect to complete a business minor. The emphasis requires many of the courses needed to complete the business minor and many students feel that the investment of a few extra courses is well worthwhile.
The Hospitality industry is growing, and is in strong need of entry level management people with a strong educational background. Growth potential in the industry is unlimited.
Dietetic Registration requires completion of the academic requirements (known as a Didactic Program in Dietetics or DPD) and the supervised practice requirements satisfied through a dietetic internship. NIU's Emphasis 2 in NDHA is a DPD. When you complete it, you will need to apply to and be accepted by an accredited dietetics internship, usually involving another 9 months of study. Finally you will need to pass the Registration Examination in Dietetics. Admission to internships is competitive, so it is important to achieve a strong record during your baccalaureate studies. Click here for additional information on Northern Illinois University's Dietetic Internship.
No, entry level positions in dietetics and other nutrition-related fields do not require a master's degree. Because many dietetic internships are tied to graduate programs, however, many individuals do have their master's degree when they enter dietetics.
If you have completed general and organic chemistry and general biology by the beginning of fall semester of your third year, you should be able to schedule all the courses to finish the emphasis in 4 years. It is important to work closely with your advisor to sequence your courses. If you are intending to transfer into the program, it is helpful consult one of the program's advisors about course selection during the last terms at your current school.