RIT offering two new online master’s degree programs this fall 

Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology will begin offering two new master’s degree programs, exclusively online, beginning in the fall. 

• Hospitality business management will offer career changers or working professionals the opportunity to gain advanced skills in technology, analytics, customer experience design and management, business strategy, hotel asset management and investment, and 
• Organizational leadership and innovation will equip students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to lead diverse teams, technology-driven changes and innovative projects in organizations. 

Both master’s degree programs have begun to accept applications for the fall. 

“The hospitality business management program provides ambitious students with critical and timely knowledge in the hospitality field, including access to innovative technology and opportunities to develop the skills essential for becoming an effective manager,” said Jerrie Hsieh, professor and graduate program director in the Department of International Hospitality and Service Innovation.   

Saunders College alumni work for leading hospitality brands in top destination markets around the world, Hsieh noted, giving students connections with more than 25,000 business alumni around the world. 

The organizational leadership and innovation master’s program will prepare students to take on roles such as innovation manager, innovation consultant, chief innovation officer, new business development manager and director of innovation, among others, and jobs that may not carry innovation in their titles but ask for skills in leading innovation, according to Malar Hirudayaraj, associate professor and graduate program director in the Department of Mangement.  

“Technology and innovation are cross-cutting themes across a wide range of industries today and innovative leaders need specific skillsets and the mindset to be highly effective,” Hirudayaraj said. “This organizational leadership and innovation program is specifically designed to prepare professionals for such leadership roles in organizations that are trendsetters in innovation and those that are moving in that direction.” 

Hirudayaraj added that the program is ideally suited for a wide range of students, including mid-career professionals interested in moving up in their careers, young professionals keen to develop their strategic and leadership skills, technical professionals who want to develop their leadership potential and be able to assume management or leadership roles, and leaders in industries adopting advanced technologies. 

[email protected] / (585) 653-4021