This study was conducted with the primary aim of establishing the correlation between academic motivation and academic performance in students enrolled in the Master's Program in University Teaching at the Faculty of Education of a public educational institution during the 2022 academic year. The research focuses on a crucial issue in contemporary higher education: the validation of traditional performance prediction models in highly specialized and homogeneous sample settings. Theoretically grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) proposed by Ryan and Deci, the study explores the interaction between the intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions of motivation and academic performance metrics in a population of graduate students. The methodology employed follows a quantitative approach with a correlational scope, adopting a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. A group of 31 students, pre...