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Social Anthropology

These statistics relate to graduates who studied Social Anthropology as well as those who combined the subject with Sociology. 

Graduates from this subject are frequently interested in a career in the public or charity sectors, research, social care professions and international aid and development. Others use their degree as a route into careers unrelated to the subject studied.

In 2010/11, six months after graduating:

60.0% of graduates with a first degree were in employment

26.7% were in full-time further study

6.7% were combining work and study

For those who wish to enter public/charity sectors the first step is usually to achieve relevant graduate experience. Entry to many professional postgraduate professional courses straight after graduating can be difficult with course providers looking for significant experience of hands-on/client focused work. Many who entered employment progressed into jobs classified as ‘associate professional and technical occupations’ which broadly reflects the nature of the experience required.

In 2010/11 Social Anthropology graduates were employed in the following positions:

• Project Coordinator
• Research Analyst
• Student Social Worker
• School Mentor

In 2010/11 Social Anthropology graduates entered further study courses such as:

• MA Human Resources
• MA Social Work
• MA intelligence & Security Studies
• Graduate Diploma in Law
• MA 'Step Up to Social Work'

The positive impact of a sandwich placement on graduate employment outcomes across Brunel is considerable. Those who have done placements are also much more likely to be in employment for which they their degree was a formal requirement or where they believe their degree gave them a competitive advantage in recruitment.

Placement leavers from Social Anthropology experienced the following outcomes:

• 100.0% progressed into employment or further study
• 100.0% were engaged in a graduate-level activity (employment or further study)
• 100.0% of employed leavers were working in the top three categories of graduate level employment
• The average starting salary was £15,000. 

Relevant experience is almost always required for jobs in the public and charity sectors and social care professions and for those students graduating without it a first step is often to work voluntarily in community settings. This is often combined with a part-time paid job. Job search strategy is often about getting a ‘foot in the door’ in order to compete for graduate positions later.

A growing national trend is for many students to delay their job applications until completing their studies, preferring to focus on achieving the highest grade possible. This can result in some graduates initially continuing with their part-time job while they explore their options after graduating. As a result some graduates were working in non-graduate level positions including sales, customer service and administrative occupations.

The DLHE survey provides a snapshot of a very short amount of time (six months) after graduating and while many have progressed into relevant graduate jobs others are taking time out, travelling, waiting to start a course or continuing with their part-time job while they explore their options after graduating. Many graduates have moved on in their careers since completing the questionnaire.