Among the wide range of factors influencing students’ performance, what are the roles of motivation and individual differences? This study focuses on three research questions: (1) How can motivation and students’ individual preferences be conceptualized? (2) Depending on the curriculum, are graduate students characterized by specific profiles? (3) What are the relative contributions of individual differences and motivation in predicting academic performance? Based on self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985) and the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (1992), this work uses hypothetico-deductive reasoning. From a theoretical point of view, our work has enabled the development of an instrument to measure motivation towards graduate studies. The results show that depending on the curriculum, graduate students are characterized by specific personality profiles. Motivation emerged as a partial mediator of the relationship between personality and performance. Our results are intended to suggest professional and managerial recommendations; they address both actors implied in higher education and beyond the academic field
