Master Students’ Imagined Futures The Interaction of Students’ Resources, Narrative Repertoires and Their Thoughts About Postgraduate Futures Within Selected STEM Master Programmes

Life after graduation is presented as an open territory waiting to be explored, depending on individual determination. Drawing on narrative psychology and applying notions of temporality and identities, this study aims to investigate students’ imaginations of the future as constructed in interaction with their resources and the narrative repertoires available during their studies. Interviews and workshops at two master’s programmes are analysed. The results show how the culture of the programme turned out to be important for students’ negotiations of their narratives. At one programme, students adjusted their narratives to meet potential future challenges, whereas students at the other programme postponed dealing with them. Peers provided an important platform for expanding the narrative repertories. Implications for higher education are discussed.