Spa and Hospitality Management Certificate Program
Prepare your spa business for success through relevant and comprehensive training in University of California, Irvine Extension's Spa & Hospitality Management certificate program. Taught by leading industry experts and offered fully online to accommodate learners worldwide, this program presents cutting-edge ways to make your spa stand out in a competitive market.
Build a foundation for success and profit through extensive training in all areas of the spa business, including:
- Business planning
- Day-to-day operations
- Quality management
- Retailing
- Human resources
- Billing, inventory control & client file management
- Customer engagement
- Leadership
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Introduction to the Spa Industry, Services and Treatments
View Description Explore the evolution of the spa industry from ancient civilizations to new frontiers of convergence integrating spas, medicine, healthcare, tourism, and hospitality. From an international perspective, an overview of the industry will be provided with emphasis on current business models and positioning for future trends. Definition and market segmentation of spa categories including day, resort, medical, destination, hospital, and lifestyle management programs will be discussed as well as future industry trends and employment opportunities.
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Introduction to Spa and Hospitality Operations
View Description This course provides a comprehensive overview of the general operating procedures in a spa. Students will develop an understanding of principle skills required to manage and operate in the multi-faceted spa industry. Topics include: market review and competitive analysis, an overview of current industry statistics, and spa menu development. This course will also include an introduction to revenue generation, retailing and inventory controls, and spa facility design standards; compensation models and employee retention; software selection as it relates to marketing, reservations client file management; development of standard operating procedures; reservation training and effective reservation yielding protocols. Participants will engage in active case study scenarios and hands-on operational analysis.
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Spa Metrics: A Financial View of How to Best Approach the Spa Business
View Description This course provides the student with a comprehensive application of financial management for the spa industry for spa operations managers and supervisors. Topics include: understanding the components of a spa financial statement, capturing the key drivers of daily revenues and expenses, using ratio analyses as a business evaluation tool, and understanding the basic principles of spa accounting and financial responsibility. Students will have the opportunity to use various problem solving methods and apply them to managerial situations tailored for the spa industry. Students will analyze, quantify, and evaluate the “wellness” of specific spa businesses, and use these skills to set the course for greater financial success.
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Spa Marketing and Branding
View Description A strategic look at spa marketing and branding to drive revenue, develop new customers and markets, develop the brand presence and message, create an image, deliver promotions and communicate with the world. This course includes the fundamentals of developing a strategic marketing plan and the marketing process to include situational analysis; developing marketing strategy and the 4 P's of the Market Mix. Students will select a case study spa and develop a SWOT analysis, conduct a brand analysis, prepare a marketing budget and a marketing plan for their selected spa. Branding, establishing value propositions, unique selling propositions and the application of market analysis are included in this spa marketing class. Additional topics include marketing performance metrics, customer retention, customer relationship management, collateral development, marketing channels, public relations and social media.
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Human Resources Basics, Recruitment and Retention
View Description Explore human resource management techniques in a spa environment such as recruiting, progressive counseling /progressive discipline, as well as employee termination, motivation and training. Examine the hiring process including administrative preparation, direct hiring activities, retention practices, and related employment laws. Discussion topics will include importance of staffing metrics, tips and tools for recruiting on the web, and a review of creative recruiting methods.
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| Elective Courses |
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Customer Engagement Management in Spa Industry
View Description Learn various techniques for effectively and successfully dealing with customers. Find out how to engage with customers and understand their needs and desires. This course also focuses on the key customer service success factors necessary for capturing and retaining a profitable customer base and outperforming the competition. Customer intensive, the spa industry merges the service economy with the experience economy in new service models designed to constantly exceed customer expectations. Topics include: definition of quality customer service, cost of service and its link to profit, secrets of best service providers, communication strategies, conflict resolution and crisis management.
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Building and Sustaining High Quality Systems for Spas
View Description This course includes general quality management concepts and the key elements of a comprehensive spa quality management system: spa intentions and strategies, spa leadership, spa guest experiences, spa operations and spa improvement. Quality management is the organization and administration of the spa's system of operation. It defines the strategies, policies, plans and methods used to run the spa business. It describes the necessary processes, procedures, documents and records to make a spa both effective and efficient. A spa's quality system transforms the spirit and the intentions of what the spa's owners and managers want to provide for their guests into an excellent reality. All processes interact to create the guest experience. The spa's quality system is the invisible glue that transforms the spa's intention into its guests' and staff's experiences.
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Spa Retail Management
View Description Spa retail has always been and will continue to be an integral part of a successful spa business operation. A well planned retail boutique is an important component of a thoughtful spa experience. While spa retail has dramatically changed over the course of the spa industry's rapid growth and popularity, the fundamentals to successful spa retailing remain unchanged. This course will equip students with the basic knowledge and best practices of spa retail design, operations, and analysis. Topics include: merchandise categories and merchandise selection, pricing strategies, staffing, inventory control, KPIs for sales and visual merchandising.
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Positive Leadership in Spas and Hospitality
View Description This course examines a variety of positive business strategies developed using research from applied positive psychology, appreciative inquiry and positive organizational scholarship and deeply explores how they can be applied in the spa, hospitality and wellness industries. Students will learn how to engage, motivate and lead a team of people to accomplish business goals while also creating a positive impact in the world. Topics will include developing a workplace culture, employee engagement and motivation, and strategies for goals and accomplishment. Students will also learn about "job crafting" as a way to create meaningful work for themselves and their employees. Using strategies based on strengths and values, they will learn not only how to maximize their own contribution to business goals, but also how to make the experience more meaningful on a personal level.
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- Preferred Student Loan Lender Programs
- UC Irvine Extension will work with any student loan lender, however, established relationships with the preferred lenders may allow more expeditious loan certification and check distribution.
Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan
To learn more about this Sallie Mae loan, visit www.SallieMae.com. When applying, find the school listed as "UNIV OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE EXTENSION, IRVINE –00131498." For more information, contact Sallie Mae customer service at (800) 695-3317.
Wells Fargo Collegiate® Loan
To apply or learn more about this Wells Fargo private alternative loan, visit www.wellsfargo.com/student. When applying, click "Find your school" and locate "University of California Irvine - Extension Office (Irvine)" on the list. For more information, contact Wells Fargo customer service at (877) 566-6733.
- Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
- Eligible individuals can have the entire cost of a UC Irvine Extension program fully funded via the TAA program. To determine your eligibility, visit the EDD website. www.edd.ca.gov.
Your local Educational Development Department (EDD) or Orange County One Stop Center will often have a TAA specialist working in the facility. Find your closest EDD location.
- US Veterans Education Benefits
- Eligible veterans can apply through the United States Department of Veteran Affairs in order to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility. Applications can be completed online at www.gibill.va.gov or by calling the Department of Veteran Affairs at (888) GIBILL-1 or (888) 442-4551.
Contact a Veterans Benefits Specialist at UC Extension: (949) 824-5414. - Work Force Investment Act (WIA) Training
- WIA Can Fully Fund Your UC Irvine Extension Program
Displaced or disadvantaged workers may be eligible for financial assistance through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) when enrolling in approved UC Irvine Extension Certificate Programs. For students who qualify, the funds may be applied toward the cost of University Extension course fees, books, and materials for these certificate programs. Approved WIA students pay no out of pocket for their UC Irvine Extension certificate program.
If you are interested in attending UC Irvine Extension using this funding, you must contact your local WIA (LWIA) One Stop Center in your area to determine your eligibility and receive authorization to attend. To locate your local One Stop Career Center, visit www.edd.ca.gov. - Tax Benefits Information
- Several tax benefits are available to help you meet the cost of post-secondary education. These tax benefits are intended to help students, as well as all working Americans, to fulfill a variety of educational objectives.
Economic Growth and Tax Reconciliation Act of 2001 Hope Scholarship Tax Credit- Up to $1,500 credit per student.
- Students must be enrolled at least half-time in either the first or second year of an undergraduate program.
- Applies to tuition and certain expenses paid on or after January 1, 1998.
- Up to $1,000 credit per family.
- Students who are enrolled in at least one course leading to a degree, certificate, or improved job skills.
- Applies to "out-of-pocket" payments on or after July 1, 1998.
- Taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of up to $65,000 single filers ($130,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly) are entitled to a maximum deduction of $4000.
- Taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of up to $80,000 for single filers ($160,000 for married taxpayers filing jointly) are entitled
- AmeriCorps/National Service Trust Voucher
- After successfully completing your AmeriCorps term of service, you are eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award. You can use this award to pay educational expenses at UC Irvine Extension. You have up to seven years after your term of service to claim the award.
We are here to help. If you have any questions about your AmeriCorps Service Voucher, please contact Extension’s Student Services Office at (949) 824-5414 or unex-services@uci.edu.
