Careers and employability

Studying Sociology at Manchester you will develop a range of subject-specific skills, such as:

• the ability to describe and explain social and organisational systems and structures, helping you to investigate and propose changes to such arrangements in various contexts, such as within government, industry, charities, communities, organisations and so on;
• an appreciation of the contemporary organisation of society and individual life, which works through examination of connections between individual behaviour and social structures at national and global levels, helping you to understand the contexts in which organisations must operate and the life choices that families and individuals must make in today’s world;
• a sensitivity to and understanding of the causes of inequalities and injustices that are embedded in contemporary societies locally, nationally and globally
• a critical disposition towards culture, built from theories and from working with qualitative and quantitative data, helping you to understand how cultural trends and ways of organising society have developed, are enacted and how they might change in future.

Studying Sociology at Manchester you can also develop valuable transferable skills, such as:

• strong written and oral communication skills;
• the ability to understand complex ideas and apply these to practical situations;
• research and analytical skills, including the ability to conduct interviews, surveys, focus groups and interpret and challenge numerical data and statistics;
• the ability to use evidence and logic to construct a good argument;
• the ability to plan, organise and carry out a complex research project.

In all these areas the knowledge and skills gained from a sociology degree form an invaluable basis for further development. A wide range of graduate employment schemes with large employers are open to sociology graduates. 

Sociology graduates go on to work in a wide range of occupations, including:

• social research for public, private and third sector organisations, involving conducting interviews, focus groups, documentary research and statistical analysis;
• public policy work in local, national and even international governmental organisations, involving policy research and drafting;
• education, including teaching at all levels (via a PGCE) as well as support and administrative roles in universities;
• writing for media organisations, marketing firms, publishers and associated editing roles.

Our graduates are highly employable and go on to work for a vast variety of organisations, including:

• AstraZeneca;
• Barclays investment Bank;
• BBC;
• British Heart Foundation;
• British Red Cross;
• Cambridge University Library;
• Credit Suisse;
• Discovery Channel;
• Family Mediation Forum;
• Financial Times;
• KPMG;
• Manchester United Football Club;
• Marks & Spencer;
• Microsoft;
• NHS;
• PricewaterhouseCoopers;
• Ralph Lauren;
• Royal Bank of Scotland;
• Royal Exchange Theatre;
• Standard Chartered Bank;
• Teach First;
• The Co-operative Group;
• The Guardian;
• The Open University;
• UBS;
• United Nations; and
• The World Bank.

We build careers advice and employability into our core teaching, with specially-designed sessions to help you plan your career and present yourself in a competitive jobs market. We have a three-year programme of events and activities, many of which are specifically devised for our students in Sociology.

We call this programme ‘Professional Development for Sociologists’ because it helps you to understand what you are learning in your studies of social life and how this knowledge is useful to your own future, both in terms of your career and your own personal development. Students learn how to identify and improve their skills through small group and one-to-one sessions with their academic advisor.

Sociology is also taught at postgraduate level both at Manchester and elsewhere. Staff are also happy to advise students about postgraduate study elsewhere, both in the UK and overseas.

If you have graduated from The University of Manchester you may be eligible for a bursary, find out more from our funding opportunities page.

• Find out more about our School of Social Science alumni.
• Access the University’s award-winning Careers Advice Service.
• Take the Manchester Leadership Programme, develop your leadership skills and participate in community volunteering.
• Fast track your career with the Manchester Graduate Internship Programme.

Useful external sites

• Prospects for Sociology – for information on transferable skills, career areas and job options.
• The British Sociological Association (BSA) - for information on careers, specifically tailored to sociology graduates.
• Find out why career-minded undergraduates are opting for social sciences.