On the meaning of higher education in professional practice: the case of physicians and engineers

Abstract

This article draws on a longitudinal qualitative study of graduate transitions from higher education programmes to the world of work. In the study, 23 physicians and 20 master’s level engineers in information technology, recently graduated from four different universities in Sweden, were interviewed. The aim of this article is to explore the graduates’ perceptions of the function and impact of professional education in relation to professional practice. In the case of medicine, the educational and professional competence bases overlap significantly, and the professional education programme is viewed as a direct vocational preparation. However, the physicians argue that the transition to the workplace is associated with a need to reprioritise knowledge. The engineers consider the educational and professional competence bases to be only loosely coupled. Rather than focusing on the substance of the educational programme, the engineers consider the educational programme to constitute a broad foundation facilitating further learning and professional development in the workplace.

Keywords:

• higher education
• professional practice
• competence
• graduates