Why Students Choose to Enrol in a Hospitality Degree: An Australian Case Study.

Abstract

There is a considerable body of work that seeks to explain why and at what type of institution students pursue tertiary studies. The bulk of this work however, focuses on participation among mature aged students. This paper reports on an investigation into the reasons why students chose to enrol in a hospitality degree course at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia. The results of this study suggest that students see the university as a cluster of attributes that includes teaching staff, facilities and services. In addition, it was found that the choice of university was based on the reputation and availability of a specialist course rather than the overall reputation of the university.