The Impact of Master's Degree Programmes in Logistics on Career Development and Professional Performance

Master's degree programmes in logistics are crucial for undergraduates' career development because they provide valuable skills, knowledge and experience. The objective of this study is to analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of master's degree programmes in logistics by focusing on their correspondence to the requirements of business and their impact on the career development and professional performance of graduates. Seven variables are discussed and analysed: the effectiveness of the programme with respect to career development, the programme's contribution as a factor for employment, the impact of the skills and knowledge obtained on salary, the sufficiency of the practical experience of the programme, the programme's relevance to business, satisfaction with the existing programme and the intensity of the programme updating. The research methodology includes a survey of recent graduates of master's degree programmes in logistics from Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Bulgaria as well as interviews with industry experts and employers hiring logistics specialists. The results of the factor analysis show a strong positive relationship between most variables, especially between the intensity of the programme updating and the practical orientation of the programme for the career results of graduates.