BA/MA TRANSITION AS AN ADDITIONAL LEVEL OF EDUCATIONAL SELECTION

The linear training system as a part of the Bologna process spread across the European higher education sector. In many countries – including Hungary – the implementation of bachelor and master programs led to an additional step or decision point in the education system. If the BA/MA transition is considered as a re-selection mechanism after entering higher education, the background and operation of this selection could be an important task. Generally, the main issue is the classical problem of educational mobility: is the selection mechanism of the educational system depends more strongly on former performance or rather on social-demographic background? In addition to an empirical analysis of this problem we examine the differences in background between the completed transition into master programs among young graduates and the planned further education on master level among active BSc students. In this perspective the mechanism behind the study plans and realized decisions could be explored. Our analysis empirically based on the dataset of the Hungarian Graduate Carreer Tracking System (2011) and theoretically on the former researches on young bachelor graduates in Europe.