CONESTOGA COLLEGE
New degree program to train in-demand hospitality leaders

A new degree program at Conestoga will meet the need for highly skilled hospitality professionals in a dynamic field. The Bachelor of Hospitality Management will launch in September 2025 and is delivered through the college's School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts, which was recently ranked among the top culinary schools in Canada.

The program will provide students with the comprehensive skills and knowledge required to excel in a range of careers in hospitality, leisure, tourism, events and related fields. 

"The three-year degree fills the need for graduates with highly developed skillsets of degree-level programs to be available for the promising job market a year faster than those in the more common academically driven and research-focused four-year honours degree programs," said Keith Müller, executive dean of both the School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts and the Institute of Food Processing Technology.

In a 2023 Ontario Chamber of Commerce report, 85 per cent of food services sector respondents indicated a labour shortage in their field, while a 2022 Tourism HR Canada study noted "significant improvements in employment levels and the unemployment rate across all tourism industry groups."

Building upon theoretical concepts, the program also involves learning through case studies, laboratory activities, simulation exercises, and a four-month paid co-op work term. 

"The co-op term is the focal point of the program's practical learning, offering students access to an array of challenging paid opportunities with industry-leading organizations, including work and study terms at the Institut Lyfe in France through our partnership with this renowned institution," added Müller.

Conestoga is the only program in North America to be accredited by Institute Lyfe (formerly known as the Institut Paul Bocuse Worldwide Alliance), which connects 26 of the world's top hospitality management and culinary arts schools across 22 countries in shared educational values and the common goal of promoting and developing the professions of culinary arts and hotel and restaurant management. The program team also intends to pursue accreditation with the internationally recognized Institute of Hospitality.

Applications are currently open for the Bachelor of Hospitality Management, delivered in person at the college's Waterloo campus, home to state-of-the-art facilities that were fully renovated in 2018 to include a culinary kitchen equipped with commercial-grade appliances and the student-run Bloom restaurant.

Conestoga's School of Hospitality & Culinary Arts is a leader in culinary and hospitality programming that prepares students for successful careers in Canada's tourism industry. Students learn from faculty members with extensive industry experience as they develop practical knowledge and theoretical skills.

Conestoga now offers more than 300 programs focused on delivering instruction that is based in both theory and practice and developed in consultation with industry leaders to align with workforce demands. Spanning multiple schools of study, programs feature real-life learning experiences, including paid co-op work terms, and class sizes that support teamwork and vital student-faculty interaction.