Launching Your Hospitality Leadership Career with Cornell

Start by receiving a premier bachelor’s degree from the acknowledged leader in hospitality and guest experience education, proven industry knowledge and skills, and the confidence to lead in business. Add expert career guidance and resources, a far-reaching network of industry influencers, and the powerful Cornellian alumni community. Together, the Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration provides the comprehensive preparation you need to explore careers within the hospitality industry, find the best career path for your passions, and launch your career in the largest, most exciting industry in the world.


3 SHA undergrad students holding #Hoteliesforhire

Nolan School Career Paths Lead to Every Corner of Hospitality

With the broad-based, comprehensive business preparation you get at the Nolan School, you can choose from a huge range of hospitality leadership career options — both traditional and off the beaten path.


What Can I Do with a Degree in Hotel Administration & Hospitality Management?

A degree in hotel administration from the Nolan School opens doors and forms connections in a myriad of industries. Nolan School graduates flourish as restauranteurs, consultants, real estate analysts, and investment bankers, to name a few.


95%

RECEIVED OFFERS WITHIN FOUR MONTHS OF GRADUATION

Nolan School Graduates: Bright Job Prospects with Promising Post-Graduation Career Outcomes

When you graduate with a bachelor’s degree from the Nolan School with superlative knowledge and skills and proven practical experience, you’re one of the most employable new prospects on the job market. Our graduates are sought—and well-compensated—by employers in many industries, in a huge range of organizations.

EXPLORE EMPLOYMENT REPORT

Unrivaled Resources and Guidance to Help Plan and Manage Your Career

Students talking

The Nolan School provides you with access to experienced industry leaders and programs designed to catapult you into the working world. Through the Nolan School’s connections and preparation, you will succeed and get your dream job.


​​Leading Networking Opportunities

Birdseye view of students in the atrium

Networking is the most effective way to learn about career paths and organizations, develop contacts, and uncover the hidden job market. Effective networking can significantly enhance your career prospects. You may already be a great networker, but everyone can use some help, and the Career Management team offers many useful tools.


What Recruiters Are Saying

The reputation of Nolan School alums precedes them. Companies want to work with the intelligent, innovative, and hardworking individuals that graduate with a degree from the Nolan School.

“We love hiring SHA [Nolan School] students because of their dedication and drive to succeed. We find their passion for hotels an excellent fit for our company and know that investing in them early will be a benefit for both them and our organization for years to come.”

– Sarah D’Angelo, Senior Manager, University Relations & Recruiting

“Pebblebrook greatly values our relationship with the Cornell School of Hotel Administration [Cornell Peter and Stephanie Nolan School of Hotel Administration], and we look forward to meeting the prospective candidates every year. Knowing the curriculum provides students with the fundamental building blocks for the hospitality real estate industry, we can focus on finding the best fit for our company culture. As a company with many Cornell graduates, we have been impressed by the success of past students and are excited for the new knowledge the future students will bring.”

– Zoe LaClair, Director


See What the Nolan School Student and Alumni Experience Is Like

Our Hotelie students and alumni, some of the brightest, most innovative hospitality leadership professionals you’ll find anywhere, carve their own niche in a wide range of industry segments the world over. Take a look at how they continue to shape the industry and push its boundaries.

Christina Heggie '10

Global Partnerships Lead, Travel, Google
The Nolan School
Learn more

Biography for Christina Heggie '10

“Attending SHA [Nolan School] expanded my purview, jump-started my career, and established my skill sets of communication, problem solving, and people management that I’ve used throughout life since.”

Jenniviv Bansah ’22

The Nolan School
Learn more

Biography for Jenniviv Bansah ’22

“The skills you attain at SHA [Nolan School] are transferable to any industry. I developed an action plan on skills I wanted to gain from SHA [Nolan School], leveraged those skills during interviews, and secured the opportunity to intern at Google. And, it all happened because the school planned a career immersion trip to SF!”

Jess Petitt ’05

Vice President, Analytics at Hilton
The Nolan School
Learn more

Biography for Jess Petitt ’05

“SHA [Nolan School] helped me build a connection between what matters most — the spirit of hospitality and taking care of fellow team members — and how I could make a difference by pursuing my strengths in understanding complex problems through data. Every year I come back to recruit that mix of passion and analytical rigor and am constantly impressed.”

Elizabeth Blau ’97

CEO, Blau + Associates
The Nolan School
Learn more

Biography for Elizabeth Blau ’97

“SHA [Nolan School] truly changed the course of my professional career! The access to students, faculty, alumni, and an extraordinary host of guest speakers is incomparable!”

Kyra Roach ’22

The Nolan School
Learn more

Biography for Kyra Roach ’22

“Even if you aren't sure what your career goals are for after graduation, SHA [Nolan School] is the perfect place to explore and figure that out. Our curriculum, alumni network, extracurriculars, and larger community are so vast and diverse — there is nothing that Hotelies can't do!”

Keith Barr '92

CEO, IHG Hotels and Resorts
The Nolan School
Learn more

Biography for Keith Barr '92

“My time at SHA [Nolan School] gave me a deep understanding of the hospitality industry that was underpinned by a comprehensive business curriculum and helped me form critical industry relationships. These factors combined to set me on the path to be a successful leader in business.”

Caleb Trieu ’23

The Nolan School
Learn more

Biography for Caleb Trieu ’23

"SHA [Nolan School] has allowed me to explore all different facets of hospitality and embrace having a diversity of career experiences. I have interests in real estate, hotel operations, consulting, airlines...the list goes on and on. Despite having so many interests, SHA [Nolan School] career management team always helps me find opportunities that best fit my background and allow me to try new industries. Because of my courses and projects at SHA [Nolan School], I'm able to showcase how hospitality is the essence of any type of business. SHA's [Nolan School] unique approach to hospitality allows me to continue my goal of having diverse experiences.”


sha-undergradcareers-treks-1500×1125

Career Treks: Visit Companies in Hospitality Hubs to Learn and Network

These career-focused journeys, offered to first- and second-year students in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, afford a great opportunity to explore careers in hospitality and build connections with firms. Held during the winter break and led by the Career Management team, these “insider experiences” let you visit employers and alumni on-site to learn about roles, responsibilities, and company cultures to better inform your own career development.

Past Undergraduate Career Treks

Real estate career trek to Washington, D.C., and Bethesda, MD

Real estate career trek to Washington, D.C., and Bethesda, MD

Hospitality career trek to New York City

Hospitality career trek to New York City

Data analytics career trek to San Francisco

Data analytics career trek to San Francisco

Consumer goods career trek to Minneapolis

Consumer goods career trek to Minneapolis


Dedicated Career Management Staff and Resources for Undergraduates

As a Nolan School student, you have a wealth of career guidance and assistance through two powerful, complementary career management offices. The Nolan School’s career experts offer industry-focused resources and connections, while the professionals at Cornell Career Services can tap into the broader opportunities of the vast university network.

Connect with Nolan School Career Management

180 Statler Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853

Phone: 607.255.5182
careers@business.cornell.edu

LEARN MORE

Connect with Cornell Career Services

103 Barnes Hall Ithaca, NY 14853

Phone: 607.255.5296
career@cornell.edu

LEARN MORE

A Career in Hotel Administration Starts with a Degree

If one of the illustrious careers possible with a degree in hotel administration piques your interest, apply to the Nolan School today to begin your journey in the hospitality industry.