There is no doubting that a Humanities degree provides you with practical transferable skills such a time-management, written and oral communication. However there are other skills inherent to a Humanities programme that are useful and looked for in any employee. The mind of a Humanities student works in a different way to those of a science student, they assess problems from all angles and weigh up a situation from both sides; something that employers highly appreciate. This is shown through our last DHLE survey in 2013 where 94% of our graduates were in employment, further study, or due to start work within 6 months of completing their degree.
Careers Facts
Although a degree in Humanities is often chosen because it is enriching, interesting and intellectually stimulating, the skills and abilities that Humanities undergraduates learn whilst at University are desired in many careers. There are a number of careers that are associated with Humanities: sales; marketing; teaching; administration; journalism or publishing. However, there are also a range of careers available that you probably never realised. Students from our last cohort have gone into public relations, management, finance, media and broadcasting, and graphic design to name a few. In fact, one of our BA English graduates works for the BBC and a Music graduate is employed by the Birmingham Symphony Hall.
A Humanities degree allows you to take a route into a variety of careers, 65% of our recent graduates went into their job at a professional or managerial level. If you are hoping to enter into the media, PR or event management industries a degree in any Humanities subject is ideal. Many of our recent graduates are now working full time in this industry with degrees in: French and German; Philosophy; English; Applied English Language Studies and many others.
Humanities at Southampton
At Southampton you are part of a 2000-strong community of Humanities Undergraduates and Postgraduates, studying across seven diverse disciplines. One feature that is promoted throughout the Faculty of Arts and Humanities is our interdisciplinary module choices, you will be encouraged to take modules outside of your discipline to widen your knowledge and to gain skills from other disciplines. This feature will make you stand out from other graduates; a student taking Philosophy may do a module in a modern language to improve their chances of finding a job in business.
Humanities graduates at Southampton leave well-equipped for a variety of professions. From Social Work to Finance, Business to the Armed Forces, a Humanities degree is an excellent foundation for any future career.