Information on Associate Degree Program in Event Management
Majors Overview June 17, 2013Event managers work to execute, coordinate, and plan events and meetings for tourism agencies, private clients, hotel chains, and corporations. The Associate of Science (A.S.) in Event Management is the most entry-level degree available in the field.
A.S. in Event Management Degree Program
Typically, event management associate degree program are offered through the tourism and hospitality departments of two-year vocational schools and community colleges. They usually combine instruction in customer service and guest relations with an academic background in basic business principles, entrepreneurship, marketing, cost control, and budgeting.
The majority of event management associate degree programs include some type of practicum or internship that provides students with hands-on experience organizing events for either college functions or external companies. The associate degree programs are designed to propel graduates into entry-level positions overseeing meetings and events within the hospitality industry. Most programs do not have any specific prerequisites besides requiring students to hold either a general educational development (GED) certificate or a high school diploma.
Program Course Topics
Event management associate degree program courses give students a background of the hospitality industry, as well as specific training in meeting and event planning. Some subjects examined include the following:
•Marketing
•Conferences and meetings
•Food management and catering
•Hospitality law
•Tourism and hospitality
Salary Information and Employment Outlook
In 2009, over 51,000 event and meeting planners were employed by colleges, corporations and organizations across the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS – www.bls.gov). They earned an average annual salary of $44,780 during the period. The highest salaries were earned by professionals employed in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia.
Continuing Education Information
Most programs allow students to directly transfer credits earned from an associate’s degree program in event planning to a four-year bachelor’s degree program in the field. Schools also offer bachelor’s degree programs in advertising, corporate meeting planning and public relations, all of which can be suitable to the event planning field. Event planners in a particular sector, such as wedding planning, may seek voluntary certification from individual associations.
