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Sociology

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

Graduates from these subjects tend to fall broadly into two groups – those who ultimately wish to progress into the public or charity sectors or social care professions and those who use their degree as a route into careers unrelated to the subject studied.

In 2010/11, six months after graduating:

75.0% of graduates with a first degree were in employment

12.5% were in full-time further study

For those who wish to enter the public/charity sectors and the social care professions 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. Of those who enter employment many progress into jobs classified as ‘associate professional and technical occupations’ which broadly reflects the nature of the experience required.

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

• Business Development Executive
• Clinic Clerk
• Teaching Assistant
• Job Coach
• Junior Recruitment & Marketing Manager
• Media Intern
• Skills Guru

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

• BSc Sociology & Communication
• PGCE Primary Education

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 Sociology experienced the following outcomes:

• 66.7% progressed into employment or further study
• 75.0% were engaged in a graduate-level activity (employment or further study)
• 77.7% of employed leavers were working in the top three categories of graduate level employment
• The average starting salary was £19,500. 

Many sandwich placement leavers are interested in the social care professions. The first step into these careers is to gain relevant work experience before continuing into vocational training. While some of these jobs are classified at graduate level others are not so while the number of leavers progressing into a graduate-level activity does not appear to be as high as in other subjects the roles achieved broadly reflect the nature of the experience required and represent a successful starting point in a graduate career. The opportunity that placement brings in terms of networking has undoubtedly benefited many graduates from this subject.

The graduate labour market remains competitive and relevant experience is increasingly required for graduate level jobs. For those without related experience job search strategy is often about getting a ‘foot in the door’ in order to compete for graduate positions later. In the social care professions a first step is often to work voluntarily in community settings. This is often combined with a part-time paid job.

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.