Generic and Discipline-Specific Master’s Degree Programs at the Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences

Changes in working life and global developments pose significant new challenges and requirements for technical higher education institutions. The discussion on the future of engineering education has mainly focused on undergraduate degrees and master's level education has received less attention. This research seeks to fill some of this gap by analyzing what kinds of graduate degrees engineers want and need in the future. There are currently two main views on this matter. Some scholars suggest that master's programs should offer general knowledge across various domains such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, management, and leadership. The other viewpoint is that master's studies should concentrate on deepening the technological knowledge acquired during undergraduate studies and focus on the latest discipline-specific research and its practical implementation. The empirical part of the study examines post-graduate students’ perceptions and opinions toward generic and discipline-specific master of engineering programs across seven Finnish universities of applied sciences. Findings of the study indicate that both generic and discipline-specific master's programs will be needed also in the future to fulfill the large number of engineers’ professional opportunities and career paths.