Subjects studied
The most popular subjects for masters-level social science study in 2004 were law (17.1%), politics (14.6%), human resource management (12.0%) and social work (11.0%). In addition, a number of other subjects were popular, including
- Economics
- Sociology
- Social policy
- Geography
- Finance
- Marketing
- Anthropology
- Travel and tourism
Survey response
68.2% of masters graduates in social science subjects from 2004 were working in the UK 6 months after graduating, and a further 9.4% were combining work and study. (See Figure One). 7.7% had gone on to UK-based further study alone, with politics, sociology and law particularly popular masters subjects for this group. 4.7% of social science graduates from 2004 were unemployed six months after graduating.
Figure One: Survey responses of UK-domiciled masters graduates in social sciences in 2004
Types of work
4,380 UK-domiciled social science masters graduate respondents from 2004 were working six months after graduating.
A quarter, 24.9%, were working as managers six months after completing their degree, (see Table Two), whilst 13.3% were in social work, or related welfare positions. 6.1% were employed as accountants, actuaries or related posts, and 5.4% as human resources officers. 5.5% had gone into education, and 5.2% were working as legal professionals.
| Occupation | Number of graduates | % of working graduates cohort |
|---|---|---|
| Senior managers | 70 | 1.6% |
| Functional managers | 440 | 10.0% |
| Health and social services managers | 130 | 2.9% |
| Other managers | 450 | 10.3% |
| Accountants, management consultants, actuaries | 265 | 6.1% |
| Personnel and industrial relations officers | 240 | 5.4% |
| Other business and finance professionals | 235 | 5.3% |
| Social workers and associated professionals | 435 | 9.9% |
| Other social and welfare professionals | 150 | 3.4% |
| Researchers in social sciences and unspecified disciplines | 225 | 5.2% |
| Marketing, sales and advertising professionals | 170 | 3.8% |
| Health professionals and associate professionals | 140 | 3.2% |
| Education professionals | 240 | 5.5% |
| Legal professionals | 225 | 5.2% |
| Other professionals | 335 | 7.7% |
| Numerical clerks and cashiers | 75 | 1.8% |
| Other clerical and secretarial occupations | 330 | 7.5% |
| Other occupations | 225 | 5.1% |
Table Two: Types of work of UK-domiciled masters degree graduates from 2004 in social science subjects working in the UK six months after graduation.
Further information
- What do graduates do? - destinations of undergraduates
- What do social science doctoral graduates do? - destinations of PhD graduates in social sciences who graduated in 2004
- What did social science masters graduates from 2003 do? - destinations for last year's graduates (including business studies)
Other subjects
- Arts and humanities
- Biological sciences
- Biomedical sciences
- Business and management
- Physical sciences, engineering and IT