In the world managed by labor relations, choosing to take a course after completing graduation envisions possible perspectives in professional terms. Based on Historical-Cultural Psychology, the research presented here aimed to know the reasons reported by stricto sensu graduate students at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU) for entering the course. It is a quali-quanti nature study, which involved the application of an online questionnaire, through the SurveyMonkey Platform, answered by 374 students from 36 master’s and doctoral programs. Data analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and content analysis and allowed the organization of responses into four axes of analysis: a) Academic career; b) Professional qualification for insertion in the labor market and salary increase; c) Deepening knowledge / Research, d) Personal issues / Lack of options. The learning and development processes need to be understood and mediated by pedagogical actions intentionally designed and aimed at this public at the university. In addition, the reason that generates meaning for pursuing a master’s or doctorate needs to be linked to the social meaning of postgraduate studies in an expanded way, aiming at training and human emancipation.