The University of South Alabama and the city of Gulf Shores have reached an agreement to bring university-level hospitality and tourism coursework directly to the coast, with classes set to begin at the Gulf Shores Cultural Center in January.
The new offerings will be held at the Gulf Shores Cultural Center, located at 19470 Oak Road West, Building D, giving Baldwin County residents a chance to pursue coursework tied to the region’s dominant tourism economy without traveling to the university’s main campus in Mobile.
The partnership builds on an existing arrangement between the University of South Alabama and Faulkner State Community College designed to streamline the path from a two-year degree to a four-year one. Under that agreement, students who complete an associate in applied science degree in hospitality management at Faulkner State can transfer directly into the University of South Alabama’s bachelor’s degree program in hospitality and tourism management, carrying their credits forward.
University officials announced the Gulf Shores expansion in a release issued Friday, quoting University of South Alabama President Tony Waldrop and Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft on the value of the new partnership. Both officials framed the program as a way to create clearer career pathways for Baldwin County residents into the area’s tourism and hospitality industry, which anchors much of the local economy along the Alabama Gulf Coast.
The hospitality and tourism management program is not entirely new to the region. The University of South Alabama began offering courses in the discipline this fall both at its main Mobile campus and at Faulkner State Community College’s Gulf Shores campus, according to the release. The January launch at the Gulf Shores Cultural Center marks a further expansion of that footprint directly into the coastal community.
University officials said students interested in enrolling in the hospitality and tourism management program can contact the program directly through the university’s College of Education and Professional Studies for details on course schedules, admission requirements, and how transfer credits from Faulkner State will apply toward the bachelor’s degree.
The expansion comes as Baldwin County’s tourism industry continues to grow, with beach communities like Gulf Shores and Orange Beach drawing millions of visitors each year and generating steady demand for trained hospitality management professionals. Local officials have said building a homegrown pipeline of graduates familiar with the area’s tourism sector could help area employers fill management-track positions with residents already rooted in the community.