Academic Career Awareness and Attitudes Toward Graduate Education Among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Nursing students’ awareness of academic career pathways and their attitudes toward graduate education are critical determinants shaping the future quality and sustainability of the nursing profession. Identifying these factors enables students to engage in informed career planning and to assume more active and effective roles in their professional lives.
Aim: This study aimed to examine nursing students’ levels of academic career awareness and their attitudes toward graduate education.
Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 473 students enrolled in a nursing faculty. Data were collected using the Student Information Form, the Academic Career Awareness Scale, and the Attitude Toward Graduate Education Scale. Independent samples t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation analysis were used for data analysis.
Results: The mean total score for academic career awareness among nursing students was 70.33±19.57. Subscale mean scores were as follows: becoming a faculty member and working conditions (29.17±9.23), definition and purpose of graduate education (18.17±4.33), graduation requirements for graduate education (14.17±4.92), and application requirements for graduate education (8.81±3.26). The mean total score for attitudes toward graduate education was 53.58±11.13, with subscale scores of 34.31±7.15 for functionality and 19.26±5.59 for willingness. Positive and statistically significant correlations were identified between total academic career awareness scores and attitudes toward graduate education and its subdimensions (r=0.142–0.372; p<0.05).
Conclusion: A significant positive relationship was found between nursing students’ academic career awareness and their attitudes toward graduate education. Moreover, these variables differed significantly according to students’ sociodemographic characteristics.

Keywords: Academic career, attitude, awareness, graduate education, nursing students