This major focuses on managing and operating places where people travel to eat, attend special events, and relax or have fun. In addition to studying the hospitality and travel industry, you'll also complete a general business certificate as part of the degree. Internships are required, and opportunities include both local and out-of-state sites.
Skills and abilities this major develops: event planning, management, marketing, communication, organization, and promotion.
Regardless of your major or future career, engaged learning is vital to your present and future. It makes you more marketable for jobs and professional schools upon graduation, it enables you to build deeper connections with faculty and staff in your field of study, and it makes your learning personal by connecting your interests and values with the curriculum from your classes. Check out the three ideas below for places to get started, or learn more at IU Indianapolis’s Institute for Engaged Learning website.
Employment of meeting, convention, and event planners is projected to grow 7% from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations. About 16,500 openings for meeting, convention, and event planners are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as retirement (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024).
According to the IUPUI (now called IU Indianapolis) First Destination Survey in 2023, the average starting salary reported for School of Health and Human Science graduates was $45,350, and the median salary was $43,7500.
The median annual salary for meeting, convention, and event planners was $56,920 in 2023 (Occupational Outlook Handbook).
(This section is intended for informational purposes, not prediction of actual salary.)
Graduates in tourism, conventions, and event management often pursue advanced degrees in the following areas:
EEnterprising
SSocial
CConventional
This major is part of the Enterprise, Policy, and Planning (EPP) cluster. The EPP cluster is the academic home of University College students pursuing or interested in business; economics; labor studies; organizational leadership; public and environmental affairs; sport management; and tourism, conventions, and event management.
