Dec 07, 2025  
2025-2026 University Catalog 
    
2025-2026 University Catalog

Hospitality and Tourism Management/Gerontology, PHD

Location(s): West Lafayette


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About the Program


Purdue University’s College of Health and Human Science’s Master of Science program in Hospitality and Tourism Managment offers world-class postgraduate programs for industry professionals seeking to move ahead in their careers and for aspiring academics seeking to gain the knowledge and skills to be researchers and teachers.

The PhD program is designed to be one of the strongest research-based programs in the world. Pursue your interests in hospitality and tourism with faculty leaders in their field and leverage the benefits of our world-renowned university with classes in statistics, research design, and other topics relevant to your interests. The program provides generous resources and a well-structured four-year plan to help you develop into a world-class researcher. Upon graduation, you are expected to have a curriculum vitae of a highly sought after candidate by major research universities and research-based agencies. The program has limited enrollment to allow you to develop exceptionally close working relationships with faculty.

Dual-Title PhD in Gerontology: Students may enroll in the groundbreaking dual-title PhD in gerontology. This degree program links the disciplinary depth of a traditional PhD with the interdisciplinary breadth of gerontology. Students are admitted through and meet all course requirements in their home department, while taking courses in aging in at least three disciplines and focusing their dissertation on an aging related issue or problem.

Program Website: Hospitality and Tourism Management

Program Website: Gerontology

Program Requirements


90 Credits Required

Required Courses (18 credits)


Professional Course (3 credits)


Seminar Courses (6 credits)


PhD students will take a minimum of 2 seminar courses. These courses will be developed to meet the student interests, research trends, and industry needs. Proposed new courses include:

  • Digital Transformations Seminar
  • Community and Individual Well-being Seminar
  • Service and Relationship Management Research Seminar
  • Experience Design Research Seminar
  • Corporate and Business Strategy

Methodology & Statistics Electives (12 credits)


All students will take a minimum of 6 credits of methodology-related courses and 6 credits of statistic-related courses. Courses may be taken from 500/600-level courses.

Outside Specialty Electives (6 credits)


All students will complete a minimum of 6 credits outside specialty courses. These should be chosen in consultation with the student’s major advisor.

Independent Study Course (6 credits)


Take twice.

Dissertation Research (48 credits)


Geronotology Requirements for Dual Title


Requirements for Interdisciplinary Program (18 credits)


Core Courses (7 credits)


GPA Requirements


Any student on Academic Notice whose following semester GPA and cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 will be separated from the university. If a graduate student is on academic notice and EITHER the semester GPA or the cumulative GPA is 2.0 or above, the student will remain on notice. Academic standing is not addressed during Summer Session.

Graduate Programs Disclaimer


  • The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Students should consult with their advisor/department for more information.
  • Not all graduate programs may be actively recruiting students and course modality availability may vary. 
  • Please refer to the Explore Graduate Programs website for a list of currently available graduate programs.
  • Transfer credit policy: Credits earned for graduate study at other universities (both domestic and international) may be applied toward an advanced degree. Only credit hours associated with graduate courses for which grades of B- or better were obtained will be eligible for transfer. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made are determined by the various departments.
  • Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

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