About Our School

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Life is a journey and if you are reading this, chances are you are wondering if SAIT's School of Hospitality and Tourism is the right choice for you, as you explore the next steps in your journey. That's a great question, and one only you can answer.

What I can do, however, is help provide some insight about why our school might be an incredible choice for you. Let's start with the easy stuff. If you are interested in a career in the world of hospitality whether to work in Calgary or take the skills you will learn here to anywhere in the world you have come to the right place. SAIT is the only school in Canada to be recognized by both CEOWORLD Magazine and QS World University Rankings as one of the world's Top 50 hospitality schools. There is simply no better hospitality school in Canada. But more important than the ranking is why we have been honoured with such global recognition.

The answer to that question comes down to three simple but powerful things. First, our faculty. Nothing is more important in education than having a great teacher and we are proud to have a deeply passionate faculty that are wholly committed to student success. Their professional experience has taken them across the globe and now they are here to do one thing to impart their knowledge and industry expertise to set you up for a successful career. Second, is our absolute commitment to hands-on learning. Our students learn in real-world classrooms. During your time with us, you won't simply be taught what industry is like, you will live it. Whether it's in our fine dining restaurant (The Highwood), our three food halls (4Nines, Tastemarket and Culinary Campus), our Butchery and Market Place, our travel agency (Destinations), or the signature events that our students produce and execute (HOSPO, President's Dinner and Harvest Dinner to name a few), you will have an extraordinary opportunity to put your training to use. Why? Because we believe there is no better way to prepare you to be job-ready than to put you to work in our safe, supported living classrooms. Last but not least, our strong industry partnerships. We are fortunate to have incredible industry supporters who regularly advise us to ensure our programs and curriculum stay relevant. Our industry also plays a key role in supporting our students through guest speaking, mentorship and paid internships.

Hopefully, that helps with your decision, but there is one last question you should be asking yourself. Are you ready for a career of service? A career based on a fundamental principle of being of service to others, seeking to provide guests with extraordinary moments in life? Whether you do that by preparing a meal your guest will remember for a lifetime, or perhaps welcoming them into your hotel and making them feel cared for, as though they were in a home away from home. Or perhaps it's arranging a trip of a lifetime for a client, or designing and executing an event that will forever mean something to them. This is the life of a hospitality professional. The work is hard. The hours can be long. But the community you will join is bound by an extraordinary commitment to being of service to others. Along the way, you will meet lifelong friends and gather memories and experiences that will astonish you.

I know choosing a school and a program isn't an easy decision and I wish you the best as you make the right decision for you. If you do choose SAIT, then I look forward to welcoming you in person and then shaking your hand when you walk across the stage on graduation day and join the ranks of our extraordinary alumni.

James Overall
Dean
School of Hospitality and Tourism