Executive Master of Management in Hospitality (EMMH)

Curriculum and schedule

Students complete 16 online courses. These include core courses in Hospitality Business, Leadership, and Innovation, as well as elective options in Hospitality Data and Analytics, Digital Marketing, Revenue Management, Hospitality Real Estate and Asset Management, and other key topics.

The EMMH degree also includes a week-long residency session held in late August. During this visit, students have the opportunity to meet their professors and classmates in person while completing intensive coursework on campus. Over the course of the program, each student completes a capstone project that addresses a real-world problem using tools from the coursework.

Most courses are seven weeks long, and students should expect to spend an average of 10-20 hours each week on their studies depending on the number of credits in which they are enrolled. The program includes several one-week breaks, typically occurring between courses, and a four-week winter break between the fall and spring terms. The program is ideally completed over 20 months (5 terms) and students earn a total of 30 credits. Students may choose to accelerate or extend their coursework to fit their schedules.

Program structure and pacing

Students complete all core courses and 13.5 credits of electives for a total of 30 credits. Please visit the university course catalog for more details.

Fall

Core courses (required)

Corporate Finance: 3 credits
Marketing Management for Services: 3 credits
Year 2 capstone: 1.5 credits

Electives

Ithaca residency week: Fulfills two 1.5 credit electives
4 electives: 1.5 credits each

Spring

Core courses (required)

Managerial Accounting: 3 credits
Leading and Transforming Hospitality Organizations: 1.5 credits
Human Resources Management: 1.5 credits

Electives

4 electives: 1.5 credits each

Summer

Core courses (required)

Hospitality Operations: 3 credits

Electives

2-4 electives: 1.5 credits each

Most students will earn the EMMH degree in 4–6 terms (16–24 months)

Most students attend a residency week during their program. By completing one Ithaca residency and its two elective courses, students earn 3 credits.
Students using federal financial aid or VA funding must enroll in at least 6 credits in a term to receive benefits for that term.
3-credit courses entail approximately 20 hours per week of study, while 1.5-credit courses require approximately 10 hours per week.

Courses to enhance your acumen

Online EMMH core courses

Corporate Finance
Operations Management
Marketing Management for Services
Managerial Accounting
Leading and Transforming Hospitality Organizations
Human Resources Management
Hospitality Strategic Management (capstone)

Online EMMH elective courses

Hospitality real estate, asset management, and development
- Hospitality Real Estate Development
- Hospitality Asset Management Strategic and Tactical Processes
- Hospitality Asset Management Financial Management and Capital Investment Strategies
- Real Estate Financial Modeling
- Real Estate Law
Data and analytics, digital marketing, and revenue management
- Automation, AI and Machine Learning in Hospitality
- Integrated Marketing Communications
- Data-Driven Analytics
- Revenue Management
- Brand Management
- Restaurant Distribution Strategies
Leadership and communication
- Discrimination and Labor Law
- Negotiation Strategy and Skill Practicum
- Impactful Unscripted Communication
- Residency Week: Leadership, team building, innovation and creativity (week-long in late August)

AVP of Hospitality at Yale University

Jodi Smith Westwater, ’25

How has the program helped you tackle challenges in your role?
“My capstone project is centered on queue time reduction for the dining program at Microsoft’s Puget Sound campus. It boasts over 100 different dining destinations and serves more than 25,000 people daily. I’m working to identify solutions to reduce queue times at cafes, food halls, and stations during peak times. Targeted improvements in queue time will enhance employee productivity and satisfaction, increase foodservice staff efficiency and lift transactions per labor hour.”

What do you appreciate most about the program?
“What I love the most about the program is the flexibility. I have a very big professional role, and I was initially concerned about how to balance full-time work, parenting and coursework. I have found the structure to be very approachable and the professors very accommodating. I was also impressed with how effectively our global cohort could learn from and work with one another coming from diverse hospitality industry sectors.”

VP of Asset Management, Brookfield Properties

Hiran Wirekoon, ’25

How has the program helped you tackle challenges in your role?
“My capstone project for the program streamlines our data-gathering process to produce standardized labor and payroll reports that show productivity and enable benchmarking across like properties. These standardized reports will help asset managers quickly identify the root of a problem and fix it. The goal is to reduce payroll costs by 300 to 500 basis points across my portfolio and then roll the process out companywide. In a company with billions in revenue, a savings of 300 basis points is significant.”

How did the program structure contribute to your learning experience?
“A lot of thought has gone into the design of this program. It is designed for working professionals like me. The work is rigorous and very relevant to what I do on a day-to-day basis. At times, it does not even feel like coursework because the theory and application to the real world is instantaneous. The professors are invested in us, genuinely want to help, and are always available.”

Deadlines and key dates

Join an admissions information session and get your questions answered.

April 15,2026

Application deadline

August 24, 2026

Fall intake start

Late August 2026*

Residency week
*exact dates to be announced

Application checklist

Note: A GMAT or GRE test score is not required

Application fee

We require a non-refundable application fee of $105.

Fee waivers are available for all current or former United States military members. Please contact mmh@sha.cornell.edu for a fee waiver code prior to submitting your application. Fee waivers must be requested BEFORE you apply. We are unable to retroactively refund the application fee.

Resume or CV with five plus years of full-time professional experience in the hospitality industry

Applicants with fewer than five years in the hospitality industry may be considered if their experience is especially relevant and other qualifications are strong.
Applicants with fewer than five years of hospitality experience seeking a full-time, in-person degree should instead apply to our residential Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH) degree.

Academic transcripts

Successful applicants will have received a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Please submit transcripts from all colleges or universities you have attended. Be sure to redact, cross out, or cover your Social Security Number if it is displayed on your transcript. You may submit unofficial transcripts with your application; however, should you be admitted into the EMMH program, we will request an official copy for verification.

Transcripts should indicate:
- All courses you have taken
- Grades received in each course
- Degree and the date it was conferred

For students with non-US credentials

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or an equivalent international degree is required. Candidates who have earned or are on track to earn a degree that does not match the information found on the equivalency list in title or duration should strongly consider providing a credential evaluation with their application. World Education Services (WES) a third-party verification agency, can provide this service.

Submit unofficial transcripts from all colleges attended. If your transcript is not in English, please submit an official and certified English translation in addition to an original copy. World Education Services (WES), can provide this service. Transcripts should indicate all courses you have taken, grades received in each course, degree name, and date the degree was conferred. Candidates who are admitted and enrolled are required to provide the corresponding official transcripts before matriculation.

Two letters of recommendation

Two letters of recommendation are required. At least one should be from a current or recent supervisor who can attest to your work-related skills. The second may be from either an academic or professional source. You will be required to enter the email or street address of your recommenders as you complete this portion of your application. Select the “online” option for your recommenders to receive an email invitation to submit their letters. It is your responsibility to ensure that all recommendations are submitted online by the deadline for the round in which you are applying.

Statement of purpose

Write a statement of purpose that describes in 500 words or less:

your academic interests and professional goals
your academic background, preparation, and training, including relevant professional experiences
your reasons for pursuing the EMMH at Cornell

Personal statement

Please describe (within 300-500 words) how your background and experiences influenced your decision and ability to pursue a graduate degree. For additional suggestions on how to write a personal statement, please see the Graduate School’s website.

English language proficiency requirement

All international applicants must demonstrate proficiency in the English language by submitting official TOEFL, IELTS Academic, or Duolingo English Test scores. Test scores must be sent directly by the testing center. International students may also be required to pass a writing benchmark. All eMMH classes are delivered in English and require participation in class discussions, involvement in group projects, and intensive writing and reading. Successful candidates will have a full command of both spoken and written English.

The eMMH program does not accept My Best Score reports for the TOEFL examination and requires applicants to meet the minimum sub-scores in speaking, reading, listening and writing set by the Cornell Graduate School

TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English tests must have been taken within two years of the application deadline. Duolingo English test scores, with a minimum requirement of 130, should be sent to Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

In some cases, these testing requirements can be waived. For more information on TOEFL and IELTS test score minimums, how to submit TOEFL or IELTS test scores, and the criteria for waiving the requirement, please visit the Graduate School’s website.

IELTS and TOEFL Arrangements for COVID-19

If a safe in-person option is not available for you, you may submit results from one of the following at-home options.

Tuition and financial aid

The 2026-2027 tuition is $2,937 per credit; the EMMH degree is earned by successful completion of 30 credits. Additionally, an application fee of $105 is due when you submit your application.

If you receive an offer of admission and want to accept it, you must officially do so through the online application system by the date indicated in your admission letter. When you accept your offer, you must also pay a nonrefundable admission deposit of $1,500, which secures your place in the incoming class and will be credited toward your first-semester tuition bill.

For more information, please visit the Office of the Bursar’s website.

The cost of transportation, accommodations, and most meals during the residency session are not included in the program tuition.

There are no fellowships or grants available for this program, but US students are eligible to apply for federal Stafford loans. The Cornell University Financial Aid Office handles federal loan information. Some merit scholarships are available. All applicants will be considered for merit scholarships at the time of EMMH program admission. There is no separate application required for merit scholarships.

EMMH program faculty

Christopher Anderson
Professor; Area Chair for Services Management; Academic Director for Executive MMH; Regional Editor, International Journal of Revenue Management
Steve Carvell
Robert A. Beck Professor of Hospitality Financial Management; Area Chair for Finance
Elena Belavina
Associate Professor
Robert Kwortnik, Jr.
Associate Professor; Richard J. Bradley and Monene P. Bradley Director of Graduate Studies for the Cornell Field of Hotel Administration, MS/PhD Programs
Chekitan S. Dev
Singapore Tourism Board Distinguished Professor in Asian Hospitality Management
Mary MacAusland
Professor of Practice; Faculty Director of the Nolan School Teaching Mentorship Program
Kate Walsh (on leave)
Professor
Cathy A. Enz
Lewis G. Schaeneman Jr. Professor of Innovation and Dynamic Management Emeritus
Jeanne Varney
Associate Teaching Professor; Arthur Adler and Karen Newman Adler Director of the Center for Real Estate and Finance; Deputy Area Chair of the Operations, Technology, and Information Management Area
Bruce Tracey
Kenneth and Marjorie Blanchard Professor of Human Resource Management; Area Chair for Management and Organizations
Daniel Lebret
Associate Teaching Professor
Adam Klausner
Senior Lecturer
Maria Wolfe
Associate Teaching Professor; Academic Director of the Nolan School Communication Center
Andrew Quagliata
Associate Teaching Professor
Peng (Peter) Liu
Singapore Tourism Board Distinguished Professor in Asian Hospitality Management; Academic Director for Cornell-Peking MMH and MBA; Faculty Research Director, Cornell SC Johnson Center for Real Estate and Finance; Deputy Area Chair of the Applied Economics and Policy Area; Editor, Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management
Neil Tarallo
Associate Teaching Professor
Lilly Jan
Assistant Teaching Professor
Tony Simons
Lewis G. Schaeneman Jr. Professor of Innovation and Dynamic Management

Request information about the EMMH program

Contact an EMMH admissions counselor

Feel free to reach out to our admissions counselor if you need additional information or have questions about the application process.

Amanda Smith
607-330-3258
aeb332@cornell.edu
calendly.com/amandaesmith

Kathryn Acosta
607-209-0042
kea62@cornell.edu
calendly.com/kathrynacosta

Apply to the EMMH

When completing the Academic Program Selection portion of the application, select Executive Master of Management in Hospitality under the field of Hotel Administration.

Apply now