A greater proportion of social science graduates are employed shortly after leaving university than STEM or arts graduates.
Roses Leech-Wilkinson presents the findings from a recent report which underlines the strong career prospects of social science graduates. This data does well to challenge some negative stereotypes on the usefulness of social science disciplines, but falling student numbers could already be leading to staff reductions in social science departments. It is therefore a pressing concern to make visible the vital offerings of social science approaches for society and the economy.
A new report published by the Campaign for Social Science last week made news for challenging some common myths about the careers prospects of social science graduates. ‘What Do Social Science Graduates Do?’ analyses data from a recent HESA survey to reveal that a significantly greater proportion of social science graduates (84.2%) are employed, 3.5 years after graduating, than graduates in STEM (77.8%) or arts-humanities subjects (78.7%).
Among those employed moreover a higher proportion of social science graduates are in ‘professional, scientific and technical activities’ (19.8%) or are already ‘managers, directors and senior officials’ (7.6%) than their peers from STEM (10.9% and 3.6%, respectively) or arts-humanities (14.2% and 6.2%). More social science graduates too can also be found in ‘financial and insurance activities’: (7.1%, compared with 3.7% from STEM, and 3.9% from arts-humanities).
Source: ‘What Do Social Science Graduates Do?’ (2013)
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