Students' Motivation and Add-on Course Selection: Evidence from Undergraduate Students in the Mumbai Region

Higher education institutions are being urged to offer supplementary courses that enhance regular academic programs due to the increasing emphasis on employability and skill development.These courses are designed to give students professional certifications, industry-relevant competences, and useful skills that improve their preparedness for the workforce.The goal of this study is to determine whether there is a substantial correlation between students' motivations and the kind of add-on course they choose.It also looks at the factors that influence students' enrollment in these courses.Using primary data gathered from 106 University of Mumbai undergraduate students via a structured questionnaire, a descriptive and analytical study approach was used.Convenience sampling was used, and the Pearson Chi-Square test and cross-tabulation were used for data analysis.The results showed that the main reasons for taking additional courses were certification, academic interest, job promotion, and skill development.Nevertheless, the Chi-Square analysis revealed no statistically significant correlation between the type of add-on course chosen and the students' motivations (χ² = 6.737, df = 12, p = 0.874).Among various incentive groups, professional and certification-based courses were found to be the most popular category.The study comes to the conclusion that although students have a variety of reasons for taking extra courses, these reasons have little bearing on the type of course they choose.Higher education institutions, curriculum designers, and legislators can use the findings to create adaptable, learner-centered, industry-focused add-on programs that enhance graduate employability and promote lifelong learning.