Doctoral programs in hospitality administration: A Delphi study

Using the Delphi technique, this study attempted to determine the future direction and focus of doctoral programs in hospitality education as perceived by administrators and faculty of hospitality administration graduate programs.;The primary research instrument for this study was a Delphi questionnaire entitled, The Future of Doctoral Programs in Hospitality Administration. This questionnaire included six separate categories of inquiry containing 49 preference statements regarding the future direction and focus of doctoral programs in hospitality administration. The six categories of inquiry were: admission requirements, curriculum, faculty qualifications, goals, resources/facilities, and specializations.;The findings of this study were presented in the following two ways: First, through use of a table entitled, The Final Mean Responses of Hospitality Administrators and Graduate Faculty Regarding the Future of Doctoral Programs in Hospitality Administration. Second, via a table entitled, The Distribution of Medians and Interquartile Ranges of Hospitality Administrators and Graduate Faculty Regarding the Future of Doctoral Programs in Hospitality Administration.;Consensus was attained for 43 of the 49 (88%) preference statements. They strongly agreed the future goal of a doctoral program in hospitality administration is to prepare students for careers in hospitality teaching, not for careers in the hospitality industry. Disagreement was indicated regarding the inclusion of a core curriculum common to all hospitality administration doctoral programs.;The study sought to answer the following questions: (1) What will be the goals of doctoral study in hospitality administration? (2) What components will make up the curriculum of a doctoral program in hospitality administration? (3) From what areas of specialization will doctoral students in hospitality administration programs have a choice? (4) What admission requirements will be placed upon applicants to a doctoral program in hospitality administration? (5) What qualifications will faculty of a doctoral program in hospitality administration possess? (6) What resources and facilities will be needed for a doctoral program in hospitality administration? The study's population comprised administrators and graduate faculty from 27 hospitality administration programs offering a master's degree in hospitality administration. Membership in the Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education (CHRIE) by the population was required in order to participate in the study. The study sample comprised administrators and graduate faculty who agreed to participate in the study as verified by a completed agreement form returned to the researcher. Using this paired response format, eight programs or 16 individuals comprised the study sample.