To address this third objective we took into account the initial results from the phase 2 questionnaires identifying student characteristics, types of masters’ degrees, etc. Criteria for the selection of students taking part in the autobiographical interviews were decided on (university, master’s degree, type of degree and student profile), in addition to the numbers of students needed; and an interview script was drawn up for use as a guide. The initial work plan included a further study at the end of the degree courses (September 2018). Finalization of this study was delayed for two reasons (cited in our extension application of 12/06/2019): (a) the masters’ in law lasted 18 months (thus the 2017-8 cohort finished their studies in February 2019), with a subsequent professional qualification test in May 2019; and (b) part-time students did not finish their degrees until July-September 2019. The narrative interviews and analysis of them were carried out from September 2018 to September 2019.

The study was certified as ethical by The Bioethics Committee of the UB before the interviews were begun. The interviews were recorded and transcribed with the informed consent of all participants and deposited in a safe place.

A total of 56 interviews were carried out and categorised according to the type of master’s degree and university: 5 from the UAB, 16 from the UB, 9 from the ULL, 6 from the ULPGC, 7 from the UNED, 6 from the UNIZAR and 7 from the US. A two-tier categorisation system (inductive-deductive) was agreed on in virtual meetings bringing together all the members of the research team. The program used for this process was NVivo Pro v12 (licences acquired using study project funding).

The interviews afforded insights into students’ transition processes at this level of education and enabled us to identify life patterns in line with student profiles. The type of master’s degree was key in understanding students’ opinions and experiences at the different stages of their courses.