
If you’re a 12th student or just finished your intermediate then the first question that you would have raised in your mind is- What should I do after the 12th?
In India, Engineering, Medical, Defence, and General competition are the most common fields that students go with after finishing 12th because you can easily get a guide for making a career in these fields.
However, if you want to pursue a different course like Hotel Management after the 12th, then I’m pretty sure you might not have been fully awarded by the hotel industry and a career in hotel management.
Don’t worry! I won’t let you down.
So, If you’re looking for all about the hotel management course after the 12th (like courses, fees, eligibility, skills, entrance exams, and more) then you are in the right place.
I want to be honest with you. I pursued an Aircraft Maintenance Engineering course after my 12th and I don’t belong to the hospitality or hotel industry either.
But one of my friends does (work in the food production area), and with his help and some sort of research, I’ve got to know all about a career in Hotel Management.
So, without further ado let’s dive into the course details…
What is Hotel Management?
Hotel management i.e. Manage of hotels by means of Hospitality, Event Management, Hotel booking, Customer service, and others.
The hotel industry in India is expected to reach a value of INR 1,210.87 Bn by the end of 2023, expanding at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~13% during the 2018-2023 period, owing to the high arrival rate of foreign tourists and business delegates. (source: marketwatch.com)
You might have checked into any hotel or resort before, what did you find there?
There are many sectors in a hotel like Front Office, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage services, Food Production, Banquet, and others. And, many employees work in these sections.
For running these sectors there are many people working in every sector. Here are some job profiles that you may find hospitality industry…
- Front office manager
- General manager
- Chef
- Food & Beverage manager
- Executive Housekeeper
- Bartender
- Event Manager
- and many more…
Hotel management is one of the fastest-growing fields and in this field, there is no shortage of jobs. After completing this industry a person can also give service in other industries like – Airlines, Railway catering, and others.
Before I tell you the courses, entrance exams, and required skills for hotel management after the 12th, let’s first take a look at the pros and cons of a career in hotel management…
Pros
- Professional job and a defined career
- Not a 9-5 fixed working job
- You get a chance to serve people and make them happy
- The amazing and productive learning environment
- Exposure to cuisines of different regions, interacting with new cultures and people around the world
- Travel, and easy to relocate your job around the world
- Tips and bonuses on top of regular salary
Cons
- Long hours job and flexible work time
- High standards and tight deadlines
- Slow increments and takes time in promotion
- Less scope to get holidays and spend time with family
- Hierarchy and politics within the hospitality organization (“I order you Obey” is the concept utilized in most of the hotels)
In every career option, you can find some pros and cons, no one course is perfect. However, these pros and cons are made by personal experiences.
So, now let’s dive into the courses, eligibility, and fees in hotel management…
Courses in Hotel Management After 12th

As I told you earlier in the hotel industry, you find different sectors like Front Office (reception), Housekeeping, Food and Beverage services, Food Production, Banquet, and more.
So, it’s obvious you will have to pursue a hotel management course related to any of these sectors. Here are the top undergraduate and diploma courses in hotel management after the 12th…
- Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM)
- Bachelor in Hotel Management and Catering Technology (BHMCT)
- BSc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration
- BA in Hotel Management
- BBA in Hospitality, travel & tourism
- BBA in Hotel Management
- Diploma in Hotel Management
Now, depending on your subject’s interest and your 12th stream you can pursue any of these courses. For example, if you complete your 12th with science and are interested in science then you should probably take BSc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration (BSc.HHA).
However, it doesn’t mean you will get expertise in the science field. Pursuing BSc.HHA means your subject would be different but related to the hospitality industry.
Look at this table where I classified the subjects that you’re going to study in a particular course…
Hotel Management Courses after 12th | Subjects that you will study |
---|---|
Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM) | Food & Beverage Service Kitchen Operations Management Wines Fundamentals Fundamentals of Management, Marketing and Human Resource Management |
Bachelor in Hotel Management and Catering Technology (BHMCT) | Food & Beverage Service Food production Hotel Engineering Hospitality Marketing Hotel Accountancy Basic Accounting Travel & Tourism Catering Science Communication Fundamentals Hotel related laws Communication Fundamentals Basic French for Hotel Industry Housekeeping Operations |
BSc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration | Basic Principles of Food Production Introduction to Cookery Culinary history Culinary terms Hierarchy of Department and Kitchen Aims & objectives of cooking food Methods of cooking food |
BA in Hotel Management | General operations Sales and marketing Food and Beverage Front Office Service keeping and catering |
BBA in Hospitality, travel & tourism | Business Organisation Business Accounting Marketing Management Research Methodology and Report Writing Consumer Behavior and Market Research Travel Agency and Tour Operations Human Resource Management Essentials of Strategy Management Entrepreneurship & Venture Management Food & Beverage Management |
Diploma in Hotel Management | Front office operation Food production and beverage service Food and beverage management Hotel Maintenance Principle of Management Principle of Accounting Hotel law and finance management |
Course durations & Fees:
The duration of all undergraduates is 3-4 years however, Diploma in Hotel Management is 1-year short-term course. Depending on course levels and colleges course fees can be varied.
However, in India, the average fee of a Hotel Management Course after the 12th for a diploma course could be around 50k to 1 Lac while for an undergraduate course after the 12th it could be around 2 Lac -4 Lac. And if you want to pursue a course abroad, the course fees could be higher.
Eligibility for pursuing any course:
To be eligible for any hotel management courses that I have listed above, you must complete your 12th from a recognized board. And, you should have passed your 12th with at least 45-50 percent marks in any stream of science, arts, or commerce. However, in any particular undergraduate course, English can be asked as your compulsory subject in 12th.
Or, if you want to pursue an undergraduate in Hotel Management abroad, you must also provide language proficiency scores such as IELTS or TOEFL along with your academic transcripts, an SOP, and LORs.
Entrance Exams & Admission:
If you want to make a good career in Hotel Management after the 12th then you should take admitted to the best and most reputed college where you’ll get placement too.
When it comes to the entrance exams for hotel management courses in India the NCHMCT (National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology) is a national-level entrance exam. After qualifying for this exam you get admission to the top IHM (Institute of Hotel Management) colleges. Registration for this entrance exam starts in Aug-Sept.
However, some states also provide entrance exams for hotel management courses. For example, if you belong to Utter Pradesh then you can apply for UPCET for hotel management undergraduate courses.
Along with this some of the renowned hotels also conduct their own programs and entrance exams like Oberoi-STEP organized by the Oberoi Hotel and Groups.
Short-Duration Courses:
If you’re looking for short-duration courses in hotel management then here are two courses that you can pursue- Diploma and Certificate Courses. These courses need only a 10th pass qualification.
In these courses, you get trained in one particular sector, like-Diploma in Hotel Management, Diploma in Bakery and Confectionery, Diploma in food and beverage production, a Diploma in Front Office Operations, and more courses.
The duration for Diploma Courses can be 1-2 years while the Certificate Course duration can be 6 months to 1 year. The average fees for these courses can be 10k to 50k, based on the courses and institute you choose.
Online Courses:
You can also pursue some hotel management courses online from the comfort of your home. Many e-learning platforms like Coursera, Udemy, Edx, Alison, and more offered you some courses with a certificate program.
These online learning platforms offer you free and paid types of courses. The course duration depends on the courses you choose, however, some courses you can finish in a few hours and learn some skills while some courses can take 6-8 months. Check out this site for more guides about online courses.
Best Colleges for Hotel Management Courses in India:
College Names | Offered Courses after 12th | Admission through |
---|---|---|
IHM, Catering & Nutrition, PUSA New Delhi | BSc in Hospitality & Hotel Administration, Diploma in Food & Beverage Service , Diploma in Bakery & Confectionery | NCHMCT JEE |
Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal | Bachelor of Hotel Management, BA Culinary Arts | Direct (based on your 12th marks) |
IHM Mumbai | BSc in Hospitality & Hotel Administration, Diploma in Food Production, Certificate Courses | NCHMCT JEE |
IHM Hyderabad | BSc in Hospitality & Hotel Administration | NCHMCT JEE |
IHM Chennai | BSc in Hospitality & Hotel Administration Diploma in Bakery & Confectionery, Diploma in Front Office Operation, Diploma in Food & Beverage Service, Certificate Course in Hotel & Catering Management | NCHMCT JEE |
IHM Lucknow | BSc in Hospitality & Hotel Administration, Diploma in Food Production, Diploma in Food & Beverage Service, Diploma in Bakery & Confectionery | NCHMCT JEE |
Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, New Delhi | Bachelor of Hotel Management and Catering Technology | IPU CET |
These all are research-based data only, not personal opinions. If you are interested in any college and want to know all about it then visit the official website of that college.
Required skills for making a career in Hotel Management:
To get good growth in any field or any career you must have some skills. So here I’m listing some skills that you must have if you want to make a career in Hotel Management.
- Adjust in any work time (flexibility)
- A positive and robust attitude
- Love to help and serve people
- Get aware of the latest trends
- Good communication skills
- Teamwork and leadership
- Stress and time-management
- Problem-solving and decision-making skills
Don’t worry, these are only soft skills that you can learn online with e-learning platforms or your hospitality institute might teach you. These skills can make you successful in the hotel industry.
Academic life & Industrial Training:
In the academic life of hotel management, depending on the course you choose you get theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge in many sectors.
Industrial Training:
After completing a 3-4 years degree course or 1-year diploma course, you have to do Industrial training for 4-6 months in the best hotels, where you learn many things that you might learn in college life.

In this training period, you have to work in all sectors for 1-1 month, at least four sectors- Front office, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage, and Banquet or others and are compulsory. Your working hours could be long for 8-12 hrs and you’ll get a little bit of a stipend.
I understand, Industrial training sounds tough.
Not exactly! You have to struggle and have patience but when you do industrial training at the best hotel or any resort then you can not imagine how good your life can be. After Industrial training, you get a job in your own sector. After every year, according to your work, you’ll get a promotion too.
Conclusion:
So, in this article, I have shared with you all about the hotel management course after the 12th and I hope you have learned and enjoyed this article.
If you’re interested in hotel management and satisfied with its all cons which I have listed above then only you join this career field.
Now, I would like to hear from you:
Do you want to pursue any Hotel Management course after the 12th? And, which course you’re going to choose?
Let me know in the comment, or if you have any questions related to hotel management also add them in your comment