Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Linda Howard
Committee Member
Kenneth E. Varcoe
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Committee Member
Claudia Santin
Keywords
achievements, administrators, advisory board, advisory committees, applied PhD degree, August 2004, budgetary figures, business fields, business programs, creation, developmental methodologies, DHA, Doctor of Hospitality Administration, educators, entrepreneurship, enrollment, evaluation criteria, evaluative methodologies, focus groups, goals, graduate aptitude, hospitality administration, hospitality educators, hospitality education, hospitality PhD, hospitality programs, human resources, implementation, instructors, leadership, management education, market, marketing, marketing plans, missions, organizational communication, PhD model, PhD program, primary data, professional education, program content, program evaluation, program implementation, program offerings, research, research methodologies, sports, SBE, surveys, teachers, teaching, tourism
Abstract
The problem was the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business & Entrepreneurship’s (SBE) programs needed a marketing edge. A PhD program was designed to fuel enrollments and improve budgetary figures. The purpose was to develop an applied hospitality administration PhD program for the SBE. The Research Questions were. (a) What are the needs of hospitality educators and administrators related to an applied PhD degree in hospitality administration? (b) What PhD program content best meets the needs of hospitality educators and administrators? (c) What is an appropriate strategy for implementing a PhD program in hospitality administration? (d) What is an appropriate strategy for evaluating a PhD program in hospitality administration?
The study employed developmental, research, and evaluative methodologies. Primary data included PhD program brochures, focus groups, surveys, and suggestions from advisory committees. The results indicated that: (a) PhD hospitality programs did not meet the needs of educators and administrators. (b) The interest in the hospitality PhD was high. (c) The program needed to educate instructors on teaching and research. (d) The ultimate success criteria are graduate aptitude and achievements.
It was concluded that the program’s implementation would be beneficial to the SBE. A market also exists for a Doctor of Hospitality Administration (DHA) degree and applied PhD degrees in tourism and other business fields. The report showed that program evaluation criteria should link goals to missions. Marketing plans should mainly target teachers. Future actions should include: (a) the creation of an advisory board. (b) program initiation by August 2004. (c) future studies on a DHA degree and PhD programs in tourism, marketing, sports, leadership, human resources, organizational communication, and entrepreneurship. Implementation implications included expanding the SBE’s program offerings, advancement of the hospitality education field, and being a PhD model for the business programs.