Social sciences - an overview

• Destinations and types of work
• Salaries
• Trends
• Contacts and resources
• Case studies

View destinations of specific subjects:

Traditionally, graduates from these subjects have a lower than average employment rate six months after graduation and tend to have a higher than average representation in further study/training. This is largely explained by a drive to acquire more specialist qualifications which are necessary for certain careers such as law, social work, psychology and teaching. However, as with all the data in What Do Graduates Do?, it is important to bear in mind that figures collected six months after graduation only tell a partial story about career prospects.

» Destinations and types of work

Table 1 shows the destinations of 2006 social science graduates six months after graduation.

Economics - Six months after graduation, 68.4% of economics graduates from the 2006 cohort were either in employment or working and studying. Amongst these graduates, there was a strong representation in numerical and financial occupations, with 43.5% working as business and financial professionals or associate professionals (compared with 8.1% for all first degree graduates). An above average percentage were also found to be working as commercial, industrial or public sector managers (14.7% compared with 9.6% for all first degree graduates).

Geography - Geographers demonstrated an above average participation (19.6%) in further study/training (as a sole activity), perhaps reflecting a desire to gain more specialist skills. Under the authority of the Privy Council, since April 2002 the Royal Geographical Society(with IBG) is able to award the professional status of Chartered Geographer to suitably qualified individuals. Geography graduates who entered employment were relatively highly represented in the commercial, industrial and public sector managers category (13.2%), which includes positions in general graduate schemes, in business and financial professions and associate professions (11.7%), and in the other professional/associate professional category (11.2%).

Law - 41.6% of law graduates in 2006 chose further study/training as a sole activity compared with the overall graduate average of 13.8%, with many opting for vocational study in law, ie the Diploma in Law/Legal Practice and Bar Vocational Courses. In addition, 10.2% were engaged in work and study. Of those in employment, 18.1% entered legal professions, including legal and paralegal occupations, and 10.6% fell into the commercial, industrial and public sector managers category.

Politics - Two-thirds (66.3%) of politics graduates were in employment or were working and studying six months after graduation. Of these graduates, 15.5% went into commercial, industrial and public sector management positions. A further 15.2% entered business and financial professions or associate professions. 18% of politics graduates chose further study/training as a sole activity (compared with the overall graduate average of 13.8%).

Psychology - Psychology graduates had a strong representation in the other occupations category, with 22.9% of graduates who were employed or working and studying entering these types of jobs. Examples of jobs included in this category are the police and prison service, nursing auxiliaries and assistants and educational assistants. This perhaps reflects the need for many psychology graduates to gain relevant experience prior to embarking on postgraduate psychology study. A further 13.3% of psychology graduates entered social and welfare related work, again, suggesting a desire to gain experience in this field prior to embarking on further training. In addition, 8.3% were employed as commercial, industrial or public sector managers. Interestingly, the British Psychological Society (BPS) estimates that only 15-20% of psychology graduates actually end up working as professional psychologists.

Sociology - As with psychology graduates, sociology graduates have a wide variety of occupational destinations. A relatively high proportion (21.1%) entered the other occupations category. A further 11% were found to be in the commercial, industrial and public sector managers category. In addition, 9.5% fell into social and welfare related work, which includes social care and community roles. It should be noted that a significant number of graduates from these subjects were found in what could be considered sub-graduate employment such as clerical and secretarial or retail and bar staff occupations. Many graduates, especially those from non-vocational subjects, take transitional or stop-gap jobs before they find a job that more clearly utilises their graduate skills. The research in Seven Years On and The Class Of '99 supports this view.

» Salaries

According to the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, the average salary for 2006 graduates who were in full-time employment in the UK six months following graduation was £18,501. Economics graduates commanded a well-above average salary, at £22,781 - the highest of the six social science subjects covered here.

» Trends

The new job classifications developed by Peter Elias and Kate Purcell in the Seven Years On report identify niche graduate occupations as a growing trend. For the 2006 graduate cohort, nearly one in four graduates (23.7%) entering work went into niche graduate occupations. This expanding area includes many occupations that do not require graduate level qualifications, but contains within it specialist niches that do require degrees as an entry requirement. Social science graduates are well represented within this category, with 33.3% of economics graduates (in jobs in the finance industry, such as financial analysis) , 32.2% of law graduates (many paralegal jobs fall into this category) and 25.9% of politics graduates (in specialist management and finance jobs) from the 2005 cohort entering these types of work six months after graduation.

» Contacts and resources

Websites

Resources on this site

• Your degree in economics
• Your degree in geography
• Your degree in law
• Your degree in politics
• Your degree in psychology
• Your degree in sociology
• Explore types of jobs - occupations especially relevant to social sciences graduates can be found under administration, education, teaching and lecturing, natural resources and the environment, and counselling, social and guidance services.

General links

• British Psychological Society (BPS)
• British Sociological Association
• Business and Economic Gateway
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Intute - social sciences information
• Junior Lawyers Division (JLD)
• The Law Society of England and Wales
• Royal Geographical Society
• Social Science Information Gateway

Publications

• A Career in Law, Research and Policy Planning Unit, Law Society.
• What can I do with a Social Sciences degree? Trotman. ISBN: 085660867X
• What can I do with a Law degree? Trotman. ISBN: 0856608521
• Careers using Geography, Kogan Page. ISBN: 0749430699

» Case studies

Heather - BA Geography. Managing Director, Striding Out

I can honestly say that the work I do now is a direct result of the geography degree I took. My focus within geography was economic development i.e. employment, training and enterprise support and development in the UK. Whilst studying this, I found out about my favourite subject: social entrepreneurship.

Social entrepreneurship centres on setting up businesses with a social purpose, i.e. they aim to make a social difference and a positive impact within the community (for example, Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen which focuses on the social regeneration of a local community). I initially chose to do geography at university as I had really enjoyed the A-level course and felt that the subject would allow me to keep my options open so that I wouldn’t have to specialise too soon. Although I chose to study for the BA rather than the BSc, I still received a grounding in technical skills such as GIS as well as a wide range of other skills such as market research, which has helped me in running my own business.

After graduating, I followed on directly with a Masters course in Economic Development to consolidate and enhance my knowledge. I worked part-time during the course with organisations, so that I would have both a postgraduate qualification and work experience by the time I completed the year. This combination is usually essential if you want to find work as an economic development consultant, which was my aim. This provided me with a broad spectrum of projects rather than channelling me into one particular specialisation. Following my Masters, I worked as a consultant for six years on behalf of organisations and government departments.

A year ago I decided to set up my own social enterprise called Striding Out, which I did with some assistance from my former entrepreneurship lecturer at Southampton University which I really appreciated - seven years on from my graduation!

Striding Out aims to support young entrepreneurs (aged 18-30) in setting up their own business by providing training workshops and one-to-one coaching. Alongside this, I continue to carry out consultancy work for the government on matters relating to entrepreneurship. Unlike most other businesses whose main focus is on making money, my business is based on social values and making a difference. My main motivation comes from the satisfaction of helping other people feel good and confident in themselves.

Louise - BA Law. Family law solicitor

Louise is a family law solicitor for a large law firm based in Worcestershire.

Louise was interested in a career in law from an early age, and was particularly interested in family law as she liked the idea of helping somebody to overcome a problem in their personal life. 'I chose family law as I could really motivate myself to represent people in this area. Commercial law did not really appeal to me, as I couldn't give myself the motivation to represent people in respect of non-human issues and profit.'

Louise undertook work experience throughout secondary school at a local law firm. After studying for a law degree, she then completed her Legal Practice Certificate (LPC) at the College of Law in Chester. Upon initially completing her LPC she did not have a training contract secured and applied to several firms in her local area of the North West and a few further afield. She worked as a paralegal for three months before starting her training contract with the same firm and finally qualified as a solicitor in October 2005. She moved to her current position as she felt that the family law department at her old firm was not progressing.

Although Louise does consider her law degree to be useful in some everyday skills she uses, she does not consider it key. 'I don't think studying law at university is necessary, and once you specialise in an area of law you may not use the other aspects that you have learnt anyway. In addition, non-law degrees can develop a lot of the analytical skills that are required in the sector.'

Louise's typical cases involve contract or residence disputes, but she also deals with divorce and matrimonial finance matters and care proceedings involving social services. Her role has developed significantly since qualifying, as she now undertakes more complex work and deals with child abduction and care proceedings.

'You need to be quite a strong person to advise in family law as the problems that confront you day to day are often quite emotional, and the people you advise are often vulnerable. You need to be able to give people clear advice even if you know they won't like it. You need to be diplomatic and accept their points of view even if they differ from yours. Being a family solicitor means that people tend to rely on you and can become very dependent upon you. Therefore, it's vital to recognise that whilst you are dealing with important aspects of their lives, you must be able to detach yourself from their problems or you won't be able to advise them properly.'

Less favourable parts of the job include being stuck in court when you have a pile of work to do at the office, dealing with particularly aggressive clients or clients who are unwilling to take your advice.

“My three tips for somebody considering a career as a non-commercial solicitor are: have a sense of humour, keep yourself detached, and always be honest with your clients - they won't thank you for getting their hopes up!”