'There are always opportunities to meet and work with interesting people in an international context and young people, like myself, are given lots of responsibility early in their careers,' says Caroline Mort, currently in the marketing department of Hyatt's Africa, Middle East and European division in Lausanne. Mort, also a graduate from Center International de Glion, Switzerland continues, 'Every day there is something new. Well trained individuals in the hospitality trade have many career opportunities. ' Mott's thoughts are echoed in the brochures of universities and colleges around the world which offer programs in hotel management. IMHI: Institute de Management hotelier International in France, whose graduate programs are administered by two prestigious institutions—Cornell University and Group ESSEC—concurs, 'The hospitality industry continues to internationalize its market and its development. ' 'By the year 2000, business forecasts predict that the hospitality industry will be the largest business in the world. This tremendous growth will offer the properly trained management candidate an unlimited opportunity for success,' writes the Hotel Consult SHCC Colleges, which has schools in Switzerland, the United States and Australia. Hotel management provides a practical, interdisciplinary education. Students who have been well educated in hotel management, whatever the area of concentration, can market their skills universally. Dr. Roy Wood, department head of the Scottish Hotel School at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland—one of the United Kingdom's premier hotel management programs—emphasizes that, 'graduates from hospitality programs are very attractive to other industries. ' Most hotel management curriculums offer a range of major area courses, including food and beverage management, culinary theory and practice, hotel development and planning, restaurant management and hotel operations. As with most business schools, the majority of the course-work will be fulfilled in required courses for management, accounting, marketing and economics. Additionally, students may take elective courses in chemistry, environmental science, information technology, psychology, sociology, writing and languages. Courses vary by length, credentials earned, focus and language of instruction. Many European undergraduate programs last from 24 to 30 months and award a diploma upon graduation. IHTTI in Neuchatel, Switzerland offers a three-year degree program in conjunction with the University of Bournemouth. University courses take three or four years to complete, usually earning the student a Bsc. Graduate schools require a one-to-two-year commitment. Hotel management programs are widely available in Europe and North America, yet virtually non-existent elsewhere. For this reason, these programs attract a culturally diverse student body. In some cases, 95% of the students are foreign born. At HOSTA, in Switzerland, the students are expatriates from 40 nations. While English and French are the most common languages on campus, as well as within the hospitality industry, students are encouraged to learn several languages to enhance their careers. 'Each (educational host) country has its strengths,' explains Roy Wood, 'For example, Switzerland is recognized for producing graduates who are strong in food, beverage and accommodation management and the United States is known for its expertise in operations. ' Switzerland has long been regarded as the traditional seat of the hospitality industry. No list of preeminent hotel schools would omit the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne which began as a school for children whose families were in the hotel business. It would also include: Center International; the Swiss Hotel Association Hotel Management School, ' Les Roches '; the SCHHs Institute Hotelier 'Cesar' Ri