Why Apply for Social Studies?
If you’re not sure which career path you want to follow then taking a Social Studies degree gives you a wide range of career options.
Social Studies is a degree choice that you can tailor to your particular area of interest and will give you a variety of highly transferrable skills that will make you a very attractive prospect to future employers.
Social Studies graduates have reported that they found it a relevant, stimulating, and engaging field of study. During studying you’ll look closely at individuals, communities, and workplaces – giving you a deep understanding of how we interact with each other in small groups and as a wider society.
Although the exact content of each university course will vary, it’s highly likely that you’ll study a number of national and global issues.
Social Studies covers people, politics, and society as a whole enabling you to explore a mix of disciplines and pursue areas of study that particularly interest you.
The majority of universities also offer the chance to combine Social Studies with another degree subject, to give you a deeper understanding of different aspects of society.
Popular subjects to combine Social Studies with include:
- Anthropology
- Criminology
- Economics
- History
- Psychology
- Law
Here’s more about this course and why you should apply for Social Studies:
Where can I study Social Studies?
There are a number of universities across the UK that offer Social Studies degree courses, so you’ll have plenty of options open to you.
UK universities offering Social Studies include:
- University of Dundee
- University of East London
- Bangor University
- University of Wales Trinity St David
- University of Kent
- Bishop Grosseteste University
- Birkbeck, University of London
- Glyndwr University
- Northumbria University
- Leeds Trinity University
- University of Derby
- Plymouth University
What skills will I have gained during my Social Studies degree?
Employers are particularly interested in Social Studies graduates because they have a wide general knowledge, many transferrable skills, humanistic values, and an open minded attitude towards situations.
As a Social Studies graduate you’ll be happy working both alone and as part of a team.
You’ll be used to thoroughly researching, analysing, and presenting data. You’ll also have developed strong written and oral communication skills, meaning you’ll be able to convey your ideas clearly and concisely.
What are the job prospects like for Social Studies graduates?
Social Studies graduates have some of the best employment prospects of all the degrees, partly because graduates can go on to work in such a diverse range of jobs.
The majority of graduates are in employment within six months of graduating, unsurprisingly with a fair number working in the social and welfare sector.
Careers in this sector include:
- Counselling
- Careers advice
- Youth work
- Housing
- Community development
- The police
- The probation service
- Other jobs working within the criminal justice system
Charities, the NHS, local authorities, the government, and school and colleges are all popular employers of Social Studies graduates.
However, as we said above, the range of transferrable skills you’ll gain during your course means that there are many career paths open to you and you don’t just have to stick to looking in the social and welfare sector.
What about postgraduate study?
For some roles, you may need to have completed postgraduate study, either a Master’s or PhD, and this is a popular option with many Social Studies graduates.
Postgraduate study enables you to focus on an area of special interest and gain an in depth knowledge and understanding of that subject and the issues surrounding it.
In some cases you might also need to complete postgraduate study for a particular career path, for example if you wanted to become a teacher you would need to take a PGCE after your Social Studies degree.
Postgraduate study also gives you a better chance when applying for senior or managerial roles once you’ve gained industry experience.
So, why apply for Social Studies?
Hopefully this article has shown you that there are many reasons to apply for Social Studies – not least the great graduate employment prospects!
The UK is a world leader for courses that come under the bracket of Social Studies or Social Sciences, meaning that you’ll have excellent teaching standards and plenty of opportunity to gain experience in industry before graduating.
