This paper has a focus on the possibilities and difficulties for the integration of academic and professional goals in the final thesis in European teacher education. The theoretical basis is Bernstein’s concepts of vertical and horizontal discourses. The academic goals, belonging mainly to the vertical discourse, can give teacher students an understanding of why professional activities are done in a particular way, and enable them to critically analyze teaching situations. The professional goals, belonging mainly to the horizontal discourse, can give the students an understanding of how to perform in the profession and introduce them to the practical aspects of teaching. One postulation in this study is that the two discourses have similarities and that they in some ways can be integrated with each other. The data in this paper is published research about the final thesis in European teacher education collected using a systematic literature-review method. The data is categorized in two aspects if they are in support of or can been seen as hindrances for the integration of academic and professional goals for the final thesis. Furthermore, the aspects of hindrances are divided into one subcategory for aspects related to academic goals and one subcategory for aspects related to professional goals. The result is illustrated by a model, used in earlier research in this area, showing the different aspects relationship to the vertical and horizontal discourse. Finally, the meanings of these different aspects for the future teachers are discussed with the help of the two discourses.