Senior Living Management 
Excel in a Growing, Vital Industry
Do you want to be a part of a rewarding industry that is growing rapidly and in high demand? As the percentage of our population entering retirement age continues to grow over the coming decades, the need for savvy professionals to lead in the senior living industry has sharply increased. Don’t miss your chance to take advantage of this opportunity and enter a career field that is secure, essential, and highly satisfying!
Why Pursue a Career in Senior Living Management?
In the next eight to 10 years, 75 million Americans will reach retirement age. As this vast number of retirees enter senior living communities, the demand for professionals in this field is will skyrocket, according to projections from Argentum, the nation’s largest senior living association.
To create an environment that promotes overall well-being for their residents, retirement and senior living facilities must provide recreational, culinary, housekeeping, and other quality of life services—this is the purview of the senior living management professional. Combining compassionate care for our aging population with various aspects the hospitality industry, this career field is not only essential and in high demand, but also provides a work environment that is fun and emotionally rewarding.
What You’ll Learn
WSU’s senior living management major, offered entirely online, combines specialized knowledge applicable in senior living and retirement communities with wide-ranging training in the broader hospitality industry. Acclaimed WSU faculty members bring extensive, hands-on industry experience to the curriculum, with an emphasis on practical skills and knowledge.
You will gain expertise in operations, management, service, planning, finances, and leadership in the senior living space. As part of the hospitality business management degree program, the senior living management major provides skills and knowledge that will also apply to careers at hotels, restaurants, sports and convention centers, and tourist destinations, both in the U.S. and around the world.
WSU Senior Living Management Major Strengths
- This major’s four-year plan is based on consultation with the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living (GCISL) Steering Committee members, numerous industry operators/vendors/trade associations, and a sub-committee of GCISL Faculty Fellows (from across the WSU system) doing work in the aging space.
- As part of WSU’s online hospitality degree program, students in the Senior Living major work 1,000 paid hours in the senior living or hospitality industry, providing career connections and raising their profile for corporate recruiters.
- WSU’s hospitality program was established in 1932, making it the third-oldest such program in the U.S. It consistently ranks among the nation’s top 10 hospitality programs and is part of WSU’s AACSB-accredited Carson College of Business.
Courses Designed for Flexibility
The Carson College of Business offers its upper division courses in a 7-week format. Several required upper division courses are offered only once per year. Students will be required to take some courses during the summer.
The 7-week sessions allow students to complete two or four 7-week courses during a traditional 16-week semester and can be taken concurrently with 16-week non-business courses. The 7-week courses are accelerated and require about 15-20 hours of work per week but allow for a more flexible schedule suited for working students. The current 7-week course rotation schedule is provided below in the Program of Study under SLM Core Requirements and Course Rotation Schedule.
Program of Study
All courses are available online
University Requirements
All WSU undergraduates must complete a minimum of 120 semester credits of which 40 credits must be at the 300 – 400 level. Students must also complete the University Common Requirements (UCORE). These can generally be satisfied with a direct transfer degree. For a list of direct-transfer agreements, visit WSU’s Transferring an Associate Degree web page.
Students must also complete the College of Business graduation requirements and the hospitality business management degree program requirements.
Admission to the Major
Minimum Requirements
A student must meet the following minimum requirements to be eligible to apply for a Carson College of Business major:
- Complete the following courses with a grade of C or higher:
- B A 100 – Introduction to Business
- HBM 101 – Professional Development
- B A 102 – Exploring Careers in Business
- MATH 201 – Mathematics for Business & Economics (MATH 202 or ALEKS score of 80% or higher is an acceptable substitute. MATH 106 or MATH 140 will be accepted as alternatives to MATH 201 for transfer students.)
- ECONS 101 – Microeconomics OR ECONS 102 – Macroeconomics
- Complete the Carson Career Amplifier Program Year 1
- Have a WSU cumulative GPA of at least 2.50 and not be on academic probation
- Complete at least 27 credit hours
Students must apply to be admitted to the major during the term they anticipate completing the above requirements.
Carson Career Amplifier Program
The Carson Career Amplifier Program is a co-curricular program that complements what students are learning in the classroom. Students will develop professional skills through engaging, hands-on experiences.
For more information, visit the College of Business Carson Career Amplifier Program and watch a brief overview on YouTube: Career Amplifier Program Overview.
SLM Core Requirements and Course Rotation
| 7-WEEK COURSES: Offered on a Rotation Schedule, and Require that Students are Admitted to the Major | Spring Session 1 (Jan. – Feb.) | Spring Session 2 (March – May) | Summer Session 1 (May – June) | Summer Session 2 (June – Aug.) | Fall Session 1 (Aug. – Oct.) | Fall Session 2 (Oct. – Dec.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HBM 280 – Hospitality Systems | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| HBM 358 – Foodservice Systems and Control | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| HBM 375 – Intro to Senior Living Management | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| HBM 381 [M] – Hospitality Leadership and Organizational Behavior | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| HBM 401 (1 cr) – Career Management | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| HBM 470 – Living Management Operations Analysis | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| HBM 475 [CAPS] – Senior Living Capstone | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| HBM 494 [M] – Service Operations Management | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
The course rotation schedule is provided for planning purposes. New students should refer to their personal planning worksheet created by their Global Campus Academic Advisor for initial planning. Once admitted to the major, students should refer to their Academic Progress Report in myWSU to track their academic progress.
Additional Senior Living Management Requirements
The Senior Living Management program requires coursework in Aging/Gerontology, Biology/Psychology, Physical Science, and Humanities. Students will work closely with their Global Campus Academic Advisor to determine courses needed to fulfill the requirements.
SLM Electives
The Courses Below Require Students are Admitted to the Major
6 credits of upper division business courses, 12 credits outside the major. All upper division business courses are 7-weeks.
- Upper-division electives include courses from ACCTG, B_LAW, ENTRP, HBM, I_BUS, MGMT, MGTOP, MIS, MKTG.
Additional College of Business Graduation Requirements
- *6 credits of additional social sciences or humanities coursework: ANTH, ASIA, CES, CRM_J, DTC, ECONS, ENGLISH, FINE_ART, HISTORY, HUMANITY, PHIL, PSYCH, SOC, H_D, POL_S, and WOMEN_ST
- One of the following Communication courses:
- COM 102 [COMM] – Public Speaking in the Digital Age
- H_D 205 [COMM] – Developing Effective Communication and Life Skills
- 3 credits Written Communications: ENGLISH 402 [WRTG] [M] – Technical and Professional Writing OR ENGLISH 403
- 2.5 cumulative grade point average in all business courses
- Nine upper division (300- and 400-level) courses must be taken at WSU
- 6 credits International Experience Requirement: A variety of options exists to fulfill this requirement, including study abroad, international internships, and approved coursework.
*Cannot be used for any other requirement
Industry Experience Requirement
As part of the hospitality business management program, students work 1,000 paid hours in the senior living or hospitality industry, providing career connections and raising their profile for corporate recruiters. Visit Carson College of Business Industry Experience Requirement for details.