Factors influencing Moroccan University students’ choice of academic majors: Mohammed V University, FLHS in Rabat as a case study

Abstract

Opting for an academic major at the university can be a student’s most conclusive decision. This study aims at identifying factors that impact first-year university students’ choice of academic majors at the university. It mainly examines the impact of personal characteristics and future job factors on first-year university students choosing a specific academic major or field of study. A survey was administered to 180 first-year university students to assess factors influencing their choice of these academic majors at the university, the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences in Meknes, as a case study. Using a survey, participants in this study were asked to rank a list of determining factors that may have influenced their decision of university academic major. The study reached that career aspiration, the reputation of academic major, students’ personal development, educational goals, parents’ influence and teachers’ impact all come into play to affect first-year university students’ selection of their academic majors.