Are University Students' Career Objectives Compatible with Their Studies?

This conference paper examines the perceived compatibility between undergraduate students’ academic studies and their long-term professional aspirations. Drawing on questionnaire data from 36 students enrolled in Business and Marketing-related programmes at an American university in Madrid, the study explores students’ confidence in their degree pathways, their preferred and least preferred subjects, and their envisioned career trajectories.

Findings indicate that while a majority of students report confidence that their studies align with their professional goals, engagement appears instrumental in nature. Students tend to value the degree credential itself more strongly than the learning process, raising questions about perceived practical relevance and academic motivation.

The paper contributes to debates on higher education alignment, student motivation, and professional identity formation. The research was later developed into a more comprehensive book chapter: Kelly & San Román (2019), The incongruence between students’ professional aspirations and their university studies, in Nuevas Visiones en Educación y Empresa para una Nueva Sociedad (Editorial Fragua). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18662381