Social sciences
What can you do with a Sociology degree?
Quick answer
A Sociology degree commonly leads to roles such as social research assistant, housing officer (entry) and community outreach worker. Five years after graduating, Sociology graduates had median earnings of £29,600 (middle half: £24,200–£35,900), and 88.5% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Sociology, social policy and anthropology graduates is public administration and defence (22% of those in work).
Sociology examines institutions, inequality, and research methods. Graduates often start in research, housing, and community roles. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £23,400
- Median pay after 5 years
- £29,600
- In work or study after 5 years
- 88.5%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 114 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Public administration and defence
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 9,525
On this page
What jobs can you get with a Sociology degree?
Graduates commonly start as social research assistant, housing officer (entry), community outreach worker or insights assistant. Sociology also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Social research assistant
Supports a study: recruitment, fieldwork notes, and clean datasets for a lead researcher.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- interview schedules
- coding transcripts
- ethics
Housing officer (entry)
Skills these adverts often ask for
- case notes
- allocations process
- tenant contact
Community outreach worker
Skills these adverts often ask for
- workshops
- safeguarding
- partnerships
Insights assistant
Skills these adverts often ask for
- surveys
- slide decks
- sampling notes
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Sociology graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Sociology, social policy and anthropology graduates in UK employment were public administration and defence (22%), health and social work (16.3%) and education (15.8%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was public administration and defence (16.5%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Public administration and defence | 22% | £32,600 |
| Health and social work | 16.3% | £26,700 |
| Education | 15.8% | £29,300 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 9.9% | £32,900 |
| Administrative and support services | 6.8% | £28,900 |
| Wholesale and retail | 6.2% | £25,600 |
| Information and communication | 4.4% | £35,900 |
| Finance and insurance | 4.3% | £32,600 |
Most common specific industries
- Provision of services to the community as a whole — 15% of graduates in work, median £32,200
- Primary education — 7.8% of graduates in work, median £29,600
- Administration of the State and the economic and social policy of the community — 6.3% of graduates in work, median £33,300
- Other social work activities without accommodation — 4.9% of graduates in work, median £26,700
- Hospital activities — 4% of graduates in work, median £27,800
- Secondary education — 3.8% of graduates in work, median £29,300
How much do Sociology graduates earn?
Official dataSociology graduates had median earnings of £23,400 one year after graduating and £29,600 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £23,400DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £18,700–£27,100 | 89.7% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £26,700DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £22,300–£31,800 | 89.7% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £29,600DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £24,200–£35,900 | 88.5% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £34,400DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £24,200–£45,000 | 86.5% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Sociology, social policy and anthropology graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Sociology, social policy and anthropology graduates measured, University of Cambridge had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£42,100), followed by University of Bath (£40,100) and Durham University (£38,100).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| University of Cambridge | £42,100 | 50 |
| University of Bath | £40,100 | 65 |
| Durham University | £38,100 | 155 |
| University College London | £37,000 | 75 |
| University of Bristol | £35,900 | 105 |
| University of Nottingham | £35,900 | 110 |
| Birkbeck, University of London | £35,500 | 55 |
| University of Southampton | £35,500 | 150 |
| Brunel University of London | £35,100 | 80 |
| University of Exeter | £35,100 | 80 |
Is Sociology the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You want to study how institutions shape everyday life.
- You are willing to learn qualitative and quantitative methods.
- You like connecting theory to policy documents.
It may not suit you if
- You wanted a purely vocational social-work licence in three years.
- You dislike reading theory.
- You expected no statistics at all.
Interview questions for Sociology graduate roles
EditorialResearch, housing and outreach interviews usually test ethics, evidence, and talking to people who did not ask for a theory seminar. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
You are asked to design a short survey for residents. What do you watch for?
What it tests. Leading questions, sampling, and what you cannot claim from 40 replies.
A tenant is angry and talking over you. How do you run the conversation?
What it tests. De-escalation and still capturing the issue for a case note.
How would you explain ‘correlation is not causation’ in a community meeting?
What it tests. Research literacy without sneering.
You see a safeguarding concern during outreach. What is your first duty?
What it tests. Policy over improvisation.
A manager wants a ‘typical story’. What do you refuse to invent?
What it tests. You do not fabricate a case to make a slide land.
Most Sociology courses do not use a standard admissions interview. If a university invites you, it will say so — see UCAS on undergraduate interview invitations.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Sociology graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to sociology. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Social research assistant…
Prepare your application with graduate cv examples, student cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Research exact university programmes
We have not added verified programme records for this subject yet. Use the official university catalogue for current courses, fees and entry requirements.
Explore the programme finder · Compare programme details · Research international scholarships
Make your next move
Planning to study Sociology in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
Find UK study guidance for your country · Compare international course-fee examples
Explore the international student guide · Build your study budget and checklist
Universities for Sociology in our index
122 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Sociology in the full university explorer.
Show all 122 universities
Name, city, or a CourseToJob subject. Nothing is stored.
Nation
No university matches that search.
Undergraduate applications are made on UCAS, not here.
Sociology degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with a Sociology degree?
Common starting roles include social research assistant, housing officer (entry), community outreach worker and insights assistant. Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Sociology, social policy and anthropology graduates in work were public administration and defence (22%), health and social work (16.3%) and education (15.8%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Sociology graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Sociology graduates of £23,400 one year after graduating, £26,700 three years after graduating, £29,600 five years after graduating and £34,400 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is a Sociology degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 88.5% of Sociology graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £29,600. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Sociology 114 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Sociology, social policy and anthropology graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Sociology, social policy and anthropology were at University of Cambridge (£42,100), University of Bath (£40,100) and Durham University (£38,100). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Sociology in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.