
If you’re interested in how a communities of people live together and interact with each other then a degree in social science may be the right course for you. Social science looks at the relationship of individuals within society across a very wide range of areas.
What are the different social sciences?
There doesn’t appear to be agreement as to how many social sciences there are but the major subject areas of social science are:
- Anthropology
- Archaeology
- Economics
- Geography
- History
- Law
- Linguistics
- Politics
- Psychology
- Sociology
What is a social science degree?
You can study social science at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. Given that the social sciences cover such broad subjects (see list above), the course and modules vary according to which field you would like to pursue. You can get an idea of the variety of courses on offer by typing in social sciences into our course matcher tool. You’ll find a list of over eight hundred universities offering social sciences courses all over the world.
Why is a social science degree good for you?
Obviously the knowledge and experience of a degree in social sciences will be beneficial to you when you graduate but there may be less obvious advantages to having a degree in social science.
Skills employers want
As a social science graduate, you will acquire a range of transferrable skills which are highly relevant to a range of roles. This is particularly useful for students who aren’t completely sure about what they want to do after university.
Here is a list of the skills gained from a degree in social science and which employers are looking for:
- Critical thinking
- Problem-solving
- Creativity
- Communication
- Logical thinking
- Independent thought and research
- Cultural awareness
- Socially conscious
- Emotional intelligence
When you have graduated and are looking for a job it is easy to feel that your degree does not directly match a particular job description. However, you can shape your CV/resume and cover letter to match the requirements of the job based on the above skills and knowledge you have gained during your degree.
Make the world a better place
One major concept that all the areas of social sciences have in common is trying to better understand and improve society. If you are socially conscious and want to improve the world we live in, getting a social science degree will bring you one step closer to your dream career.
What can you do with a social science degree?
As already mentioned, a degree in social sciences can cover a very wide range of areas. It therefore comes as no surprise that the range of professions to choose from are equally broad. Here is just a sample of the jobs you could do with a degree in social sciences and average salary per year in the top three study destinations.
USA | Canada | UK | |
---|---|---|---|
Archaeologist | USD 49,984 | CAD 58,720 | GBP 23,231 |
Social Science teacher | USD 53,638 | CAD 70,102 | GBP 35,774 |
Civil servant (government worker) | USD 96,534 | CAD 72,920 | GBP 40,135 |
Police officer | USD 61, 936 | CAD 106,147 | GBP 35,159 |
Economist | USD 55,360 | CAD 78,568 | GBP 46,275 |
*data from Glassdoor for 2022
Please note that some of these careers may require further study or training.
You should now have a better idea of the types of careers that can follow from a social science degree. If you haven’t yet decided on a programme, you can use our course matcher tool to find what’s right for you.