ABSTRACT :Ensuring that there are adequate resources to meet the needs of the students entering the market is a complex task that entails predicting the demand for tertiary education by policymakers and education institutions. The following paper brings forward two theories, the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and the Psychoanalytical Model of Personality (PMP) to explain the demand for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses in these institutions. The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) assumes that human behaviour is a result of the attitudes, beliefs and subjective norms which influence the STEM education choice that people take. Yet on the other side, the PMP implies that motivation, conflict, and unconscious wishes shape behaviour. The duo of models gives a distinctive perspective on the choice of an individual to join the STEM disciplines at the tertiary level. To obtain a thorough understanding on the topic this paper reviews literature on the use of these models and provides a detailed description on how these models can be applied to predict the demand for tertiary education in STEM disciplines. The paper concludes by discussing the advantages, constraints, and the role of each of the models before it gives the validated recommendations for future research. The results of this research will be used to create strategies and measures to raise students’ participation in STEM disciplines at tertiary education institutions.

KEYWORDS-predicting demand, STEM disciplines, models, tertiary education, Theory of Reasoned Action, Psychoanalytical Model of Personality