The Collaborative Degree Program
If I am applying from the CIA, how do I get started?
Resea
rch the curriculum and opportunities at the Nolan School of Hotel Administration program to be sure they fit with your career goals. Attend an information session, hosted monthly at CIA with dates posted on the Main Menu (CIA’s student portal). Complete your CIA associates degree and fulfill the Cornell transfer application requirements. If accepted, you will be awarded transfer credits based on your CIA grades. The Nolan School of Hotel Administration has already pre-approved the CIA associates degree curriculum in evaluating transfer credits, resulting in an accelerated award of transfer credits to CIA students (assuming all classes were taken at the CIA and you earned a grade of “C” or better). This translates to approximately six semesters at Cornell. View Nolan School of Hotel Administration specific transfer information.
Is this a guaranteed acceptance to Cornell?
Cornell is an Ivy League institution and requires all applicants to meet its standards for admission. You must apply and be accepted into the Nolan School of Hotel Administration as a transfer student, at which point you will be eligible for the pre-approved transfer credits outlined in the Collaborative Degree Program, based on your grades at the CIA.
Cornell seems very competitive. How will I qualify for the program?
As a transfer student, you have had the chance to build additional credentials to strengthen your application to Cornell. You have had work experiences, a history of college level course work, leadership opportunities, and the chance to show a passion for your chosen field. You are also more focused on your short and long term goals than you may have been when you graduated high school. You have the opportunity to show these factors on your application – in your essays, references, responses to questions, and interview – to demonstrate why you would be a good candidate for the Nolan School of Hotel Administration. The Nolan School considers academics, hospitality related work experiences and leadership or entrepreneurial activities in reviewing your application. While your academics are certainly important (to be competitive with the overall applicant pool, consider a CIA GPA of around 3.5), these are all factors in your application so think about your experiences carefully to address these areas. A minimum of pre-calculus and microeconomics are necessary to demonstrate your quantitative abilities. Specific admissions requirements can be found online.
What transfer credits do I receive for my CIA coursework? Can I get additional transfer credits from classes outside the CIA?
CIA transfer students with an associates in Culinary Arts or Baking & Pastry Arts receive a pre-approved transfer credit program, allowing them to complete their Cornell bachelors program in approximately six semesters. This assumes they took all their classes at the CIA and received a grade of “C” or better. Additional credits for AP/IB classes or other college coursework may be accepted, depending on what areas they are in. For other college coursework, review the Nolan School curriculum and focus any additional studies in classes such as microeconomics or liberal arts and sciences. Note: You must complete at least 60 of the required 120 bachelor degree credits on site at Cornell in order to matriculate there. If you are thinking of taking additional college coursework, you may have classes reviewed in advance by the Nolan School Registrar to ensure you receive transfer credit for them.
What is unique about the Nolan School of Hotel Administration program?
The intent is for students graduating from the Collaborative degree program to have a broader perspective about the operations and impact of foodservice across the hospitality spectrum. At the Nolan School, students have the opportunity to learn about restaurant design and development, financing and management, to study foodservice in a variety of venues including hotels, resorts, spas, stadiums, institutions and other hospitality settings, and to participate in classes and activities specifically focused on restaurant entrepreneurship.
I graduated from the CIA several years ago. Can I be part of the collaborative degree program? Depending on how long ago you graduated, you may be eligible for the majority of the transfer credit awarded to participants in the Collaborative Degree Program. Requests will be handled on a case by case basis.
I am an international student. Do I have special application requirements?
While Cornell is truly a global university, international applicants are required to be proficient in English. For specific application requirements and the necessary TOEFLS or IELTS scores, visit Cornell’s international student page.
I am on the bachelor’s track at CIA. What are the requirements to enter the Master of Management in Hospitality (MMH) program at Cornell after I graduate?
The MMH program offers the rigorous business management curriculum you’d expect to find in a top MBA program, but with an exclusive focus on the hospitality and services industries. The MMH program is a three semester program that includes a summer externship experience. The MMH prepares you to work on the ground in a management and leadership capacity in the hospitality industry. Your cohort will be composed of students from varying professional and academic backgrounds. Ideal applicants are looking to advance or change direction within their hospitality career, are working towards a career in entrepreneurship, may be part of a family owned hospitality business, or are moving into hospitality from another career field.
There is one start date per year, in August, and students are required to take some preliminary online quantitative classes over the summer before the onsite program starts. The admissions process is intensive and multi-faceted so start planning early to be sure you have enough time for each piece. There are multiple admissions rounds beginning in November so check the web site for application dates. You can also find information about current tuition and financing options including veterans benefits, loans, scholarships, employer assistance.
Sometimes it helps in your decision making to visit the campus, so if you haven’t been to Ithaca, it is a nice trip and you can experience the community, which is relatively small but diverse. The admissions team recommends requesting information online as it adds you to their database and then, even if you decide not to apply to the MMH program immediately, you still receive news and updates.
How can I tour the Nolan School of Hotel Administration and Cornell?
There are many ways to find out more about the SC Johnson College of Business (including both the Dyson School and Nolan School of Hotel Administration) and Cornell University offer several options for planning a visit. The links below include in-person, virtual, and pre-recorded sessions.
- Cornell visit page https://www.cornell.edu/visit/
- In-person info sessions: https://www.cornell.edu/visit/plan/compare/
- Virtual events: https://engage.admissions.cornell.edu/portal/prospective_student_events
- Pre-recorded info sessions: https://blogs.cornell.edu/admissions/business-information-session/
Guided walking tours of the Cornell University campus are also available throughout the year. The tours will give you an introduction to Cornell’s history, its seven undergraduate colleges and schools, student life, athletics, and some legend and tradition. The tours are wheelchair accessible, are mostly outdoors, and last about one hour. Cornell conducts tours rain or shine. General tours depart from Martin Y. Tang Welcome Center, located at 616 Thurston Ave., unless noted otherwise. The Martin Y. Tang Welcome Center is designed to welcome and inform prospective students, parents and thousands of Ithaca area visitors. Visitor Relations student and professional staff are on hand to greet, provide information and lead general campus tours.