The department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management (RHTM) offers several degree concentrations designed to provide students with the tools for success in any number of industries. Through a combination of classroom instruction and field-based experience, students prepare for entry-level positions in diverse occupations and for advanced education. These concentrations include:

Three concentrations are offered as minors in the RHTM Department: Retail and Consumer Sciences, Restaurant and Food Service Management, and Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Research opportunities are available due to the high level of research productivity in the department. Graduate students are afforded the opportunity to become well-rounded researchers via coursework, special projects, and experience as research assistants. Industry partnerships with many corporate headquarters of leading retailers located in the Knoxville metro area add to the graduate experience. The program offers the opportunity to work on industry-related projects through the Institute for Service Excellence and the UT Tourism Institute.

The Tourism Institute

The Tourism Institute’s mission parallels the RHTM Department’s mission of being the leading provider of hospitality and tourism education, research and economic development in the state. The Tourism Institute seeks to fulfill this mission by partnering with communities to provide education, research, technical, and cultural support to increase the livability of Tennessee communities, and partnering with industry and government to improve the quality of the workplace and to serve as an engine for economic and cultural development.

The Culinary Institute

A career in the Culinary Arts offers the opportunity to be an important part of the country’s fastest growing industry – Hospitality. The food service industry is setting increasingly high standards for its employees. The culinary training curriculum at the Culinary Institute at the University of Tennessee is geared to provide the skills and talents necessary to be a culinarian of significant value in this exciting industry. This certificate program provides the nationally reputed Servsafe Food Service sanitation certificate upon completion of the program. The faculty is comprised of American Culinary Federation certified chefs, all of whom are still working in the industry. The cooking laboratory is actually a full-service restaurant kitchen. The current experience of the teachers, combined with the professional environment of the workplace, will provide all the tools to be successful in the food service business.

Faculty

Department Head

Ann Fairhurst, Professor and Head

Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism

Dean Aaser, Internship Coordinator
Rachel Chen, Associate Professor
Carol Costello, Professor
Wanda Costen, Assistant Professor
Steve Morse, Associate Professor

Retail and Consumer Sciences

Ann Fairhurst, Professor
Youn-Kyung Kim, Professor
Hee-Jin Lim, Assistant Professor
Coleman Piper, Executive-in-Residence
Rodney Runyan, Assistant Professor
Lucy Simpson, RCS Internship Coordinator

RHTM Support Staff

Marcia Johnson, Administrative Specialist I
Judy Loveday, Administrative Specialist II
Pat Shireman, Accounting Specialist III

Contact

Ann Fairhurst, Professor and Interim Department Head
Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management
College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences
The University of Tennessee
1215 W. Cumberland Ave.
110 Jessie Harris Building
Knoxville, TN 37996-1911

Phone: (865) 974-6614
Email: fairhurs@utk.edu
Website: http://csm.utk.edu/