Liquid modernity and choice of university degree programmes: Malaysian university students’ perception

Education has become increasingly driven by economic forces and it is now seen as a way to advance economic growth and prosperity. This article starts by describing the traditional educational vision and Bauman’s liquid modernity. Later, the higher education scenario in Malaysia will be presented. The objective of this research is to investigate the factors influencing Malaysian students’ university degree choice, and their perspectives on basic science as well as basic social science degree courses in universities. Our findings show the primacy of economic considerations when students make a choice about their education. An examination of the relevance of Bauman’s liquid modernity is also applied here. Moreover, the discrepancies in the research results will be discussed. The article concludes that while liquid modernity promises opportunities and advancement, awareness of the current dynamics in the education sector is also needed.