The Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU) School of Hospitality plans to create new cannabis certificate programs to help prepare students for jobs in the cannabis industry with a different take on “cannabis hospitality.”
The university is set to offer an entry-level certificate for Cannabis Hospitality Specialist and a more advanced certificate for Cannabis Hospitality Manager. The Specialist certificate is aimed at those interested in joining the cannabis industry and will provide first time knowledge and other service industry basics. The Manager certificate is more in-depth with more business operations training.
Students in the program will study a variety of topics with a focus on the responsible sale and consumption of cannabis dispensaries and food preparation. The program intends to look at the entire cannabis supply chain to put a spin on “cannabis hospitality,” which would typically refer to just places to consume cannabis.
“When we look at the cannabis hospitality certificates, it really looks like the entire supply chain and ends in responsible sale and consumption,” said Shannon Donnelly, a cannabis industry consultant and professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver School of Hospitality. “We’re looking at what hospitality really is, which is customer service and creating sellable products, but then we look at everything that creates those products.”
Each certificate is earned by completing five classes for a total of 15 credits. Some of the courses, such as Cannabis 101 for Hospitality and Cannabis in the Kitchen, began over three years ago before the larger curriculum and certificates were created. Each certificate is crafted to be completed by each student within one calendar year.
Both certificates will be available to students who are or are not seeking degrees. While no special requirements are needed for admission, students under 19 must meet modified open-access admissions. Students over the age of 20 must have graduated high school or earned their GED.
Donnelly helped create the cannabis curriculum at MSU Denver and said it was designed to help students enter the cannabis industry and advance quickly with the knowledge gained from the program. She also believes the program could pair well with other fields of studies as it allows for an understanding of what happens within the industry.
Donnelly previously was a cannabis business licensing liaison for the City of Denver and is currently the executive director of the Center for Social Equity Support, in addition to being a professor at MSU Denver for two years.
MSU Denver will also form state and international advisory boards to provide recommendations to the university and collaborate on joint initiatives. The state board will provide students with more opportunities in the cannabis industry while fostering research collaboration. The international board will work to contribute to the global standard of cannabis education and explore international job opportunities in the cannabis industry.
The University of Denver has also introduced a series of four cannabis classes for students who want to move forward with careers in the cannabis industry. The four certificate paths available include cannabis healthcare and medicine, cannabis agriculture and horticulture, the business of cannabis and cannabis compliance and risk management. The only requirement for these programs is students must be over the age of 18.
Schools in states other than Colorado have also seen the creation of cannabis-related certificates and programs for college students. Truman University in Missouri created the state’s first bachelor’s program in Cannabis and Natural Medicinals. Eastern Gateway Community College recently launched three cannabis workforce education programs to provide training for the cannabis industry. EGCG offers the Cannabis Cultivation Specialist Certificate, the Cannabis Retail Specialist Certificate and the Cannabis Extraction and Product Development Specialist Certificate, which are all nine-week courses available full online.
