Going to college is no longer about getting that plain ol’ degree and then thinking about landing a coveted job. Undergraduate students want a spit-and-polish resume that can give them a head-start in their careers, and are taking professional certificate courses to add just that bit of sparkle.

Degree colleges are tapping into just this, and offering everything from media studies to foreign languages, cosmetology, diamond grading, logistics and interior designing. St Stephens College, Delhi University, offers a short-term certificate course in legal studies and media studies, while Miranda House offers one in tourism.

In Chandigarh, MCM College offers range of short-term courses in cosmetology and beauty care, video reporting, interior designing and decorating, home care nursing, web designing and multimedia. St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, offers certificate courses in diamond grading and jewellery designing.

St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, offers certificate courses in advertising, logistics and supply chain management, tax practices and procedures, foreign trade practices and management, computerised accounting and financial decision making. “Today everything is driven by market demand.

This also applies to the courses we offer. We keep our eyes and ears open and interact with industry people, who give us feedback on the areas which have opportunities for students,” says Father Mathew, principal, St Xavier’s College Kolkata.

What has made these courses a hit is that they offer hands-on training — students are required to do an internship. Most of the courses are offered in collaboration with private players. For instance, Miranda House offers a one-year certificate course in tourism (fees: Rs 35,000) in collaboration with the Bird Education Society for Travel & Tourism (BESTT), which organises a month-long industrial training.

“Outsourcing of such courses or collaborating with a private player is helpful as they offer industry professionals as faculty and arrange for practical training of students,” says Pratibha Jolly, principal, Miranda House. The computerised accounting and financial decision making course is offered by St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, in collaboration with FACT Software International, Singapore “The company has plans to recruit some of these students as interns,” Father Mathew told ET.

However, everything comes at a price. Most of these courses cost upwards of Rs 10,000 — often higher than degree courses. But students don’t seem to mind. “As long as these add-on courses increase one’s employability and provide practical training as well, fees are not an issue,” says an undergraduate student pursuing a certificate course in media studies along with his degree course from the Delhi University.