PANAMA CITY — College students working toward a degree in hospitality and resort management now have an option to stay in Bay County as they work toward a bachelor’s degree.
Gulf Coast State College and the University of West Florida announced Tuesday a two-plus-two articulation agreement in hospitality, recreation and resort management. The agreement means students can remain at GCSC while working toward a UWF Bachelor of Science degree in the tourism industry.
“It’s a no-brainer that we need to expand hospitality,” said UWF President Judy Bense. “Hospitality has jobs, it has plenty of internships and this program will give students across our region a chance to have a bachelor’s degree that is necessary for moving up in the industry.”
UWF officials said university application and transcript fees are waived for students admitted to the program.
UWF offers all upper division major courses on the GCSC campus in face-to-face format, online or a combination of the two, a GCSC news release states.
“Students can stay here, and I think it’s a great advantage,” said GCSC President Jim Kerley.
“It’s a great cooperative effort,” he added. “I think what we’re trying to do is help prepare the workforce … to go out there and take more leadership, have more chances for advancement in the hospitality industry.”
Internships and in-field training are key components of the program. Since the demand for management skills in the tourism industry is strong, most internships are paid, Bense said.
“The graduates of this program do not start out on the bottom of the ladder,” she said. “They’re not waiting tables; they’re not serving drinks; they’re not tending bars. They go into management.”
Last fall GCSC revamped its culinary program to include hospitality and tourism. The college has tweaked its program to fit into UWF’s Bachelor of Science in hospitality, recreation and resort management program.
Across the street, Florida State University Panama City offers a four-year degree in recreation, tourism and events. Although GCSC students have traditionally continued to matriculate to the FSU Panama City campus, Kerley said what UWF has to offer is different in terms of its focus on hospitality.
“They have a good program over there and we have students go over there,” he said. “But this is really a target program that I think really hits the broad hospitality industry.”
