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31 October 2013: Social science graduates breaking the stereotype

Having a degree in social science is no longer assumed to be linked to poor career prospects, according to a report finding 84% of social science graduates are employed three and a half years after graduation, with many in senior positions.

The report, What Do Social Science Graduates Do? by Roses Leech-Wilkinson at the Campaign for Social Sciences, found social science graduates do better in employment than their peers from science, arts and humanities subjects. With many social science graduates employed in a variety of sectors, including the financial sector, and not largely in social work or teaching careers, as previously assumed.

With skills such as understanding people, institutions and processes of change, social science graduates appeal to employers for their concept of the wider implications of their work, enabling them to see the bigger picture.

The report also found:

• 7.6% of social science graduates are employed in senior positions, compared to 3.6% of science graduates
• 7.1% of social science graduates are employed in finance and insurance roles, compared to 3.7% of science graduates and 3.9% of arts and humanities graduates
• 84% of social science graduates are employed compared to 78% of science graduates and 79% of arts and humanities graduates
• Social science graduates work in roles in banks, insurance and pension funding, and other kinds of financial management
• A larger proportion of science, and not social science, graduates work in social work and teaching.

Find out more about the report.