Careers in Social Policy

When it comes to choosing a career, our students will often have the best of both worlds: the degree can be 'vocational' if you so wish; but it is also a 'non-vocational' degree, if you want to compete for the range of vacancies that still require a graduate with no specification as to subject.

Graduate profiles

Jake Barwood, BSc Social Policy with Quantitative Research Methods
'I would absolutely recommend doing Social Policy at Bristol. It’s got the right kind of balance between the theoretical perspective and up to date policy.'
Matt Ford, BSc Social Policy
'The course provided me with an in-depth knowledge of the key concepts and theories that underpin social policies.'
Joanna Harkrader, BSc Social Policy
'The course challenged my thinking about social issues and how society responds to them. The staff at the School for Policy Studies were clearly passionate about their research interests and this came across well in lectures and classes.'

There is a wide range of jobs for graduates in Social Policy - some 40 per cent of graduate jobs are open to those of any degree discipline. Many use the knowledge and skills acquired through their degree to enter the health and social care sector and gain employment, either as practitioners, researchers, policy-makers, or managers in the areas of social work, criminal justice, health, education, housing, urban renewal, and poverty and social inclusion.

Alternatively, some Social Policy graduates use their knowledge to gain entry into professions such as journalism and politics, while others are equally well-placed to enter jobs unrelated to their degree discipline such as advertising, accountancy, market research, public relations, recruitment and administration.