The German educational system has undergone a fundamental transformation process in reforming degree structures, replacing traditional degrees with bachelor’s and master’s programmes. On the one hand, bachelor’s programmes are shorter, enabling graduates to enter the job market more quickly and to structure their educational path more flexibly in terms of time taken and study location. On the other hand, bachelor graduates must attain a certain qualification level in order to enter a master’s programme, presenting a possible additional obstacle in terms of selection on the path to a higher degree. While research into what motivates students to embark on university studies has a long tradition, empirical research into bachelor’s and master’s programmes is still relatively limited, despite the enormous significance of the reform process. This relates both to the mechanisms to explain transition behaviour and the challenges a master’s programme entails. In addition, relatively little is known about the consequences the educational decision taken at the point of transition between a bachelor’s and a master’s programme has for career entry and success.
To fill this research gap, the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) and the Institute of Sociology at Leibniz Universität Hanover are collaborating in a joint project to systematically examine the determinants, challenges and consequences of the decision to embark on a master’s programme. The joint project subdivides the research questions into four subsections to analyse the determinants of the decision for or against a master’s degree, how the transition phase is used and the degree of mobility in taking up a master’s programme, study progress on master’s programmes, and career entry for graduates of bachelor’s and master’s programmes. To explore these questions, the study combines the examination not only of the decision at the point of transition from a bachelor’s to a master’s programme, but also the chances, risks and medium to long-term consequences of these decisions for career entry and career success.
