With the increasing costs of education and growing student loan debt, it is imperative that university students select a program of study that adequately engages and prepares them for the workforce. In this study, we examine perceptions of career-readiness between financial planning students and finance students via the lens of self-determination theory (STD). We examine perceptions of career preparedness based on a motivational model that underscores student engagement through dynamic academic work and supportive academic/social networks. The results are expected to support the relevance of student intrinsic need satisfaction for competence, autonomy and relatedness during school tenure and that opportunities for intrinsic need satisfaction are influenced by program of study. Employers, universities and prospective students nationwide can benefit from the findings and implications of this research. We hope to further prompt the development and visibility of financial planning programs nationwide as a worthwhile study option for students.
Author(s): Laura Mattia, Nandita Das, Janine K. Scott