A politics degree opens doors to a broad range of careers, including political work, social and political research, journalism, HR and marketing

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Civil Service Fast Streamer
• Government social research officer
• Policy officer
• Political risk analyst
• Politician's assistant
• Public affairs consultant
• Social researcher

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Business development manager
• Charity officer
• Detective
• Diplomatic service officer
• Forensic accountant
• Human resources officer
• Local government officer
• Market researcher
• Marketing executive
• Newspaper journalist
• Public relations officer
• Stockbroker

Work experience

Consider volunteering for:

• charities
• the Citizens Advice Bureau
• global development bodies, such as WaterAid and Oxfam
• human and civil rights organisations such as Amnesty International
• local, national and international environmental and conservation organisations
• political campaigns and political parties.

Typical employers

Politics graduates are typically employed by:

• accountancy and banking organisations
• charities
• commercial businesses - particularly within marketing departments
• councils
• law firms
• local and national government
• retail companies
• media organisations.

Other employers include the United Nations (UN), the European Commission, the Civil Service, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), lobbying, campaigning, and voluntary organisations and the public sector in general.

Skills for your CV

Studying politics enables you to develop specific subject knowledge, such as how different political systems work, how organisations such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the United Nations (UN) operate, and to interpret global political issues and events.

A degree in politics also gives you many useful transferable skills including:

• the ability to research, source and examine information thoroughly
• the capacity to critically analyse evidence and construct coherent arguments
• excellent written and oratory skills
• intellectual independence and autonomy
• teamworking skills
• a flexible and open-minded approach to work.