Few careers offer the great diversity and lifestyle options of tourism management majors. Graduates are successfully employed in entry-level management positions that have strong career paths at highly competitive salaries.With the assistance of professors, students find engaging and challenging international employment directly in the primary hospitality sectors such as:

• Casinos

• Hotels

• Resorts

• Restaurants

• Attractions

• Convention industry resorts

• Countless industry suppliers, such as:

• Guest-Tek a high-speed Internet, HDTV and voice service provider to hotels

• food, wine and spirits distributors

• online travel companies

Southern Miss was the first university in the state of Mississippi officially designated by the state Institutes of Higher Learning to offer this major, and even today is one of very few with the program. The department was founded in the mid-1960s and over the years has built a strong reputation as the place to come for a hospitality degree.As long as there are leisure and business travelers, there will be a vibrant hospitality industry. Even during recessionary periods, there are travelers and therefore jobs for those who have a passion for people and service, which are at the core of this industry.The college also has a Business Honors House, a residence where students can be completely immersed in business education in a living-learning environment. No other university in the state offers this program.