Pathways to master’s education: insights from students in transnational higher education in China

Previous studies have identified the tendency among transnational higher education (TNHE) graduates to pursue master’s programmes, especially overseas degrees. Nonetheless, there is a lack of exploratory research on this ‘transnational’ group to understand the logic of practice behind this phenomenon. This article draws on interviews with 23 students at a Sino-US university to understand their perceptions of master’s study and explore the effect of TNHE experience on their decision-making about further study. Using Bourdieu’s theory of practice, we find students perceive pursuing master’s study as a natural progression and a remedy for failures in their educational backgrounds. This paper also argues that the ‘fit’ or ‘split’ between TNHE students’ habitus and the embedded field generates two distinct groups regarding choices of post-graduate study, international aspirants and returnees. While the acquisition of new habitus and capital through TNHE experiences steers most students towards international master’s study, the durability of old habitus and personal reflexivity lead a few to pursue domestic education. Our findings provide implications for TNHE administrators in supporting students’ post-graduate educational aspirations and further development of TNHE institutions in China.