Graduate careers advice: you and your public administration and social policy degree

Read our graduate careers advice on what you can you with your public administration and social policy degree.

Work experience

Some government departments offer course placements, vacation visits, internships and work experience, offering you a chance to experience working in a Civil Service setting and gain relevant skills. Your degree may offer a work placement year.

Seek out opportunities related to your area of interest. For example, if you’re interested in health service management, approach the HSE and local trusts for work experience.

Volunteer with charities that support the public and get involved with community work to gain experience and develop your skills.

More information on work experience can be found here .

What sectors?

Graduates often find employment in management roles varying from public sector organisations like the HSE, the justice system and the Civil Service, to private sector businesses working in HR, retail, banking and marketing.

Opportunities for social work also exist with social and political research organisations, and in higher education.

Places are available on graduate training schemes in housing, health, the police and specialist agencies.

Your public administration and social policy CV

Your course will give you a range of skills required for a career in public service. You will be equipped with the ability to research and interpret data from social surveys and research publications, and to implement social policy into the real world.

Transferable skills include:

• problem-solving;
• analytical skills;
• communication;
• teamwork;
• sensitivity to others;
• numeracy;
• IT skills.

Postgraduate study

Further study can be undertaken in areas like law, teaching, housing management, advocacy, health and social care services and voluntary work. Alternatively you could branch out by studying fields like finance, IT, marketing and business.

Other areas of study are criminal justice, social diversity, politics, and youth and community work.

More information can be found in our Further Study section.