Return to Table of Contents The Food Service and Restaurant Administration major at Oneonta provides students with a substantial academic background in food science, foodservice management, business, economics, and liberal arts courses leading to a B.S. degree. A student will develop leadership potential and professional skills, two keys to success in the field. Classes are generally small in size and students have numerous opportunities to interact with faculty and fellow students to explore individual interests. Transfer students are recognized as adding an extra dimension to the learning experience and often provide unique insights into topics and assignments.
Due to the diversity of employment opportunities, emphasis is placed on conceptual and human relation skills, personnel management, basic management, economics, communication and computer literacy, as well as food science and the related topics of food processing, safety, and marketing. Graduates of our program have found employment in diverse segments of the industry.
Along with academic requirements, students are encouraged to pursue work experiences (Link to pictures from our labs, course activities, and field trips at the Fox Hospital Gala, Catering, Food 235 practicum, and the New York Food Show) and internships in business and industry to broaden their awareness of this complex, ever changing field. Food Service and Restaurant Administration encompasses not only serving food, but involvement with planning, procuring, processing, sanitation, packaging, advertising, marketing and sales, quality control, product formulation, methods and materials development, food consumption trends, cost control, by-product utilization, waste reduction, market testing, fabricated and convenience foods, and consumerism. Intense competition in the industry requires students to be innovative, self-motivated, flexible and skillful in managing facilities, equipment, products, supplies, and especially people.
Each student's academic progress can be planned and monitored using the Academic Advisement Document.
A career in any of the many food-service related industries is challenging, exciting, and an opportunity to derive personal satisfaction while serving the public. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) predicts that all categories of job opportunities will increase over the next decade and beyond. Pursuing a career in this professional area is a wise choice now and for the future. For further information, check out the NRA's website hhtp://www.restaurant.org/links/linkjobs.htm.
First Year |
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| Fall | Spring |
| BUS 111 - Introduction to Business | ECON 110 - Principles of Economics |
| CONS 150 - Consumer Resource Management | CHEM 100 - Chemistry in Everyday Life |
| FOOD 130 Introductory Foods | NUTR 140 - Nutrition |
| Mathematics selection | Basic Writing Selection |
| Elective | Elective |
Total Credit Hours 15 |
Total Credit Hours 15 |
Second Year |
|
| Fall | Spring |
| FOOD 230 - Food Science | FOOD 232 - Cost Control & Service Management |
| FAMS 160 - Family in Perspective | HUEC 200 - Programs & Issues in HUEC |
| ACCT 100 - Financial Accounting | MGMT 241 - Fundamentals of Management. |
| Foreign Language* | Communication Skills Selection |
| History & Civilization Selection | History & Civilization Selection |
| Elective | |
Total Credit Hours 15 |
Total Credit Hours 16 |
Third Year |
|
| Fall | Spring |
| FOOD 235 - Design, Layout & Operations | MGMT 343 - Organizational Behavior |
| MKTG 261 - Fundamentals of Marketing | FOOD Elective |
| FOOD 239 - Restaurant & Catering Management | History & Civilization Selection |
| HUEC 211 Service Industry Supervision | Communication Skills Selection |
| Humanities & Arts Selection | Elective |
| Mini-Course Elective | |
Total Credit Hours 16 |
Total Credit Hours 15 |
Fourth Year |
|
| Fall | Spring |
| FOOD Elective | FOOD 336 - Computer App. For Foodservice. |
| Elective | FOOD 331 - Food Service Systems Mgt. |
| Elective | Humanities & Arts Selection |
| Elective | FOOD Elective |
| Elective | Elective |
| **Suggested 15 credit hour Internship Semester | |
Total Credit Hours 15 |
Total Credit Hours 15 |
| Total Credit Hours for Program 122 |
* Elective if proficiency exam passed
** FSRA majors must complete 600 hours of practical work experience to earn their
degree. This work experience may be gained through off-campus
internship. If a student selects to complete an internship the Fall
semester of their senior year is designed to accommodate this. If the
student elects to participate in an off-campus internship during any other
semester then
recommended course sequences may need to be changed. Your academic advisor
is an invaluable resource for planning any internship experiences as well as
your course selections.
CHRIE has recommended that certain curriculum standards be met by all four-year programs in any of the various programs that prepare students for careers in the hospitality field. More information is available about CHRIE from their website at http://www.CHRIE.org. Under these standards, the entry-level foodservice management professional is expected to be knowledgeable in the areas listed below. Students will be expected to have basic knowledge of some topics, working or in-depth knowledge others as they apply to the professional foodservice management, and for other topics, the ability to demonstrate the skill at a level that can be developed further. To successfully achieve the knowledge and skills, graduates must have demonstrated the ability to communicate and collaborate, solve problems, and apply critical thinking skills. Over the next several semesters, Oneonta will be revising the Food and Business major to include these expectations.
A. General education - studies in areas of human achievement other than the purely professional are important in the education of hospitality administrators. Students shall have an opportunity for General education
B. Hospitality administration - Knowledge and understanding of the general principles of the following areas, and specific applications in hospitality management.
1. Historical overview of the hospitality industry and the profession
2. The marketing of hospitality goods and services
3. The operations relative to the provision of hospitality goods and/or services, including foodservice management and/or lodging management and related services
4. Accounting procedures/practices
5. Financial management of hospitality goods and services
6. The economic environment of profit and non-profit organizations
7. The legal environment of profit and non-profit organizations
8. Ethical considerations and socio-political influences affecting organizations
9. Quantitative methods and management information systems, including computer applications
10. The planning for and utilization and management of personnel, including the improvement of student understanding of human behavior
11. Organization theory, behavior, and interpersonal communication
12. Administrative processes, including the integration of analysis and policy determination at the overall management level
13. Provision of sufficient areas of specialization to allow students to develop individual interests and talents
C. Work experience. Relevant operational and/or management experience in some facet of the hospitality industry with guidance and supervision guaranteed by the industry and the academic program
Specific PORTFOLIO OBJECTIVES for Food Service and Restaurant Administration students include documenting growth and demonstrating ability in the areas specified by CHRIE as follows:
Professional societies, also non-profit voluntary membership organizations, represent individuals with a common background in a subject or profession such as law, medicine, accounting or education. Membership in societies often is based on academic credentials, state licenses, or accreditation/certification in the profession. Generally, the activities of professional societies focus on expansion of knowledge and their special type of professionalism, while trade associations tend to be more oriented toward facilitating the financial success of their members.
Whether trade or professional in orientation, associations exist to satisfy the needs and concerns of their members. Generally, these needs and concerns are met with the combined effort of the association's staff and its elected officials. Most large organizations have a national staff and some even have regional staff as well. These staffs coordinate many of the services provided to the membership, and are led by an individual usually called an executive vice president, executive director, or an executive secretary. According to the American Society of Association Executive (ASAE), the average staff size for a national organization is 24 with an average budget of $1.5 million. The association staff works closely with the elected officers of the association by providing them with the information they need to work towards the common goals of the association membership.
The driving force behind every association is information. An association, by its very nature, exists to facilitate the exchange of information. That information may take many forms.
One of the more common forms used to supply its members with information is association publications. These publications are available in many formats. One of the more common formats are monthly or quarterly magazines with association-related articles written by experts in their field. In fact, many of the experts are association members. Association periodicals can also include industry related activities such as meeting and convention announcements, promotions and transfers of industry professionals, and the various goods and services available to its membership from allied members or businesses which cater to the association's industry. Some larger associations produce books, pamphlets, brochures, flyers and posters which provide additional information to its members. In addition to a wide variety of printed material available, these larger associations have developed research libraries or information centers. These associations have staff members available to research almost any industry related topic of interest to a member. In most cases, the information is made available to members at no charge.
Another way association members obtain useful information about their industry related problems is through contact with each other. Contact is facilitated through membership rosters provided by the association, national conventions or trade shows, monthly local chapter meetings, and industry related educational seminars or workshops. By participating in one of these meetings or conferences, the association member hears current industry information from expert guest speakers, panelists, or even from fellow participants in round table discussions. Frequently, contacts made at association meetings result in benefits to the member throughout the entire year, if not his/her entire career as new friendships and occasionally partnerships are established.
Other association membership benefits frequently available include services which have a direct impact on a company's bottom line, such as representation to federal, state and municipal governments, special group insurance rates, and seminars on sales promotion, cost controls, or management development. Some additional membership benefits will have an impact on the member's career such as certification programs, employment referral services, and of course, educational seminars that enable the members to build stronger personal skills.
Most organizations offer some form of student membership at the college level. Students interested in the hospitality industry should be aware that there is a primary benefit, which is available to them as student members of associations, related to the hospitality industry. This primary benefit is recognition by industry professionals, which helps students both learn and make beneficial contacts for internships and/or employment.
Graduating students of hospitality industry programs soon learn there are plenty of job opportunities for new graduates, but they also learn that there are very few "fast track job opportunities" or opportunities in the student's desired specialty area. Students also learn that because there are many high quality college level hospitality programs, recruiters find it difficult to always find the "best candidates" for these special opportunities. This, in turn, makes it more difficult for students trying to get their "foot in the door". To get a chance to interview for a "special opportunity," a student must differentiate himself from other students. How does the sharp student do this? If a student already knows a number of managers or executives in his or her chosen field as a result of past association involvement, the student is no longer a face in the crowd. The student's qualities and attributes are known entities. The student has already demonstrated a commitment to a special industry segment; thus, it becomes a little easier to hire this student, the manager reasons, rather than someone the manager has never seen before. In some cases, the manager has already worked with the student because the student has been involved in a special learning project as a student association member at the manager's property.
Student involvement in national associations clearly increase knowledge and definitely increase opportunities. As a student association officer, these benefits are enhanced even more.
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