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Explore what Sociology graduates do

Studying Sociology develops your critical thinking, research and communication skills as you explore social issues such as inequality, identity and social change. These skills prepare you for careers in social research, public policy, charities, and other roles that require a nuanced understanding of society and its dynamics.

Sociology graduates from Exeter commonly work in the following sectors:

While these sectors are popular among Sociology graduates, alumni from your course enter a broad range of jobs, sectors and further study, as you can see below.

Interested in career options that directly relate to your discipline or where your degree gives you a strong advantage? Start by exploring: What can I do with a Sociology degree?

Destinations of Exeter Sociology graduates

Each year, UK graduates are surveyed 15 months after finishing their degrees via the Graduate Outcomes survey.

Graduates from your discipline have entered a wide range of job roles. You can explore some recent examples below.*

To learn more about these roles, browse the job profiles on Prospects. For more detailed insights into each area of work, visit our employment sector pages.

Accountancy, Banking, Finance and Insurance

Audit Analyst
Corporate Analyst
Credit Analyst
Insurance Broker

Business Operations and Management

Commercial Graduate (Sales)
Early Careers and Development Assistant
Human Resources Graduate
Recruitment Consultant
Research Executive (HR Consultancy)

Charities, NGOs, Development Work and International Relations

Education Worker
Events Marketing Co-ordinator
Fundraising and Marketing Manager
Resource Facilitator
Specialist Worker (Safeguarding and Advocacy)

Education and Teaching

Graduate Sports Assistant
Learning Support Mentor
Literacy Coach
Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator
Teaching Assistant

Emergency and Uniformed Services

Detective Constable
Police Officer

Law and Legal

Legal Administrator
Paralegal

Politics, Government and the Public Sector

Correspondence Operations Officer
Democratic Services Assistant
Local Government Management Trainee
Policy Adviser
Social Researcher (Government)

Remember…

Most employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed above.

Graduates from your discipline have gone on to work for a range of employers. You can explore some recent examples below.*

For tips on researching an employer, visit our researching employers page.

Graduates from your discipline have pursued various programmes of further study. You can explore some recent examples below.**

To learn more about pursuing further study visit our postgraduate study page.

Further study related to your discipline

MA Society and Culture
MSc Human Geography Society and Space
MSc Public Policy

Further study in other disciplines

MA Applied Human Rights
MA Conflict, Security and Development
MA Publishing
MSc Risk and Disaster Science
MSc Security and Data Science
MSc Sports Business Management
South West Teacher Training (SWTT)

Useful resources

Discover what matters to you in a future career using our Know Yourself page.
Explore your career options using our Employment Sectors page.
Consider your further study options by visiting our postgraduate study page.
Browse Exeter alumni career paths using the University's alumni profiles database and LinkedIn's University of Exeter Alumni Tool (LinkedIn account required).
View national graduate destinations for your discipline in the What do graduates do? report. Please note it does not cover all disciplines.

*Data is based on responses from full-time, UK-domiciled students who graduated between 2020/21 and 2022/23, as reported in the Graduate Outcomes surveys.

**Individual course titles are taken from the University of Exeter’s Career Destination Surveys (2021/22 to 2023/24).