La professionnalisation de l’Université française : la perspective étudiante

How do students choose their field of study at university? For what reasons? This article explains the learning and training expectations of students enrolled in the Social Sciences and Humanities. This qualitative survey conducted between 2005 and 2008 among 115 students studying at five universities in Paris has developed a typology based on five logics used to rationalize the choice of studies at the onset of Higher Education. The results of this survey reveal that, despite the presence of different representations of academic knowledge, the reference to employment tends to increase and the vocational courses are especially appreciated by students. Some of them are primarily interested in acquiring knowledge and skills intended to be useful for their future work. The paper argues that student choices are not passive or systematically determined by university curriculum. With their individual projects, choices, preferences and representations, students also participate in the professionalization of university courses