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Restaurant/Food Services Management

Types of Degrees Restaurant/Food Services Management Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Restaurant/Food Services Management can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	99
Associate’s Degree	67
Bachelor’s Degree	316
Master’s Degree	246

What Restaurant/Food Services Management Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Restaurant/Food Services Management build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Restaurant/Food Services Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Restaurant/Food Services Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Personnel and Human Resources — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Sales and Marketing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Restaurant/Food Services Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Management of Personnel Resources — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Coordination — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Service Orientation — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Restaurant/Food Services Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Restaurant/Food Services Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Staffing Organizational Units	3.9 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Restaurant/Food Services Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Delphi Technology	Financial analysis software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Evernote	Word processing software	—
Army Food Management Information System	Inventory management software	—
espSoftware Employee Schedule Partner	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Culinary Software Services ChefTec	Analytical or scientific software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Restaurant/Food Services Management graduates include:

• Hospitality Manager
• Food Service Supervisor
• Dietary Supervisor
• Shift Manager
• Cook Manager
• GM (General Manager)
• Catering Director
• Restaurant GM (Restaurant General Manager)
• CFPP (Certified Food Protection Professional)
• Cafeteria Manager
• Tavern Operator
• Banquet Manager
• F and B Director (Food and Beverage Director)
• Banquet Director
• Restaurateur

What Can You Do With a Restaurant/Food Services Management Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Restaurant/Food Services Management commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Food Service Managers	7.7%	$165,782	$138,706–$192,858

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Restaurant/Food Services Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	30.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	19.9%
Less than a high school diploma	16.9%
Postsecondary certificate	14.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.3%
Some college courses	5.0%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Restaurant/Food Services Management?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61.2% of Restaurant/Food Services Management degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	447	61.2%
Men	283	38.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Restaurant/Food Services Management graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	297	40.7%
Asian	63	8.6%
Hispanic or Latino	143	19.6%
Black or African American	105	14.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.3%
Two or More Races	32	4.4%
Race Unknown	40	5.5%
International Students	48	6.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Restaurant/Food Services Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Restaurant/Food Services Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$35,616
4 years	$42,558
5 years	$47,733

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,733 — roughly 34% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Restaurant/Food Services Management Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Restaurant/Food Services Management. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	3	0
Bachelor’s	1	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Restaurant/Food Services Management Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Restaurant/Food Services Management graduates earn a median of $42,558 four years after completion — roughly 12% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Hospitality Administration/Management	13,333
Hospitality Administration/Management, General	8,041
Hotel/Motel Administration/Management	1,734
Tourism and Travel Services Management	921
Meeting and Event Planning	730
Hospitality Administration/Management, Other	584
Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Management	432
Resort Management	130
Casino Management	23
Brewery/Brewpub Operations/Management	8

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.