For centuries people have been fascinated by science, trying to understand how our natural environment works around us. We�ve walked on the moon, cracked the atom and managed to fly through the air, but what about the people we live with? Do we understand them? Do we really know what they want? Do we know why they behave the way they do? Studying the social sciences at a top university will help us to understand the human population around us, the society we live in and the world we travel in. It will help us to understand the past, look at where we�re going and be aware of the factors that contribute to our lives on a daily basis.
The social sciences come under the domain of Arts and Humanities. They are made up of a number of subjects that focus on people, politics and society, ranging from geography to political science, population studies to sociology, industrial relations to human resource management and labour studies.
They are a perfect combination for those students who want to make a career out of their interests. Many graduates embark on a career after completing an undergraduate degree in social sciences. Others study the social sciences for interest, developing essential skills for the workplace and then embarking on vocational career training.
If you�re interested in people, culture and what makes the world go around, then the social sciences are for you. Studying this subject area will allow you to develop your knowledge of how people and society function and change. Social sciences students are passionate. They are not afraid to ask questions and want to know why things happen. They have an innate curiosity about the world and are determined to find out as much as they can about their surroundings, people and culture.
The social sciences are a flexible area of study and most top universities will allow you to mix and match the subjects, catering for your interests and also your career plans. They provide you with a solid platform from which to embark on vocational training or enter the workforce.
The social sciences come under a BA and are a core subject area offered at any university. As a qualification, they are internationally recognized and are similar in structure and subject choice the world over. This enables greater opportunity for students interested in studying abroad. Studying the social sciences will take either three or four years.
University of California Berkeley was ranked second for social sciences in the 2007 THES-QS World University Rankings. The university has 12 different departments all contributing to the study of social sciences and is the largest division in the university. The departments include African-American studies, anthropology, demography, linguistics, women and gender studies, history and geography. Undergraduate and graduate students studying social sciences at University of California Berkeley will look at �the study of major rubrics of human existence: time, space, language, economy, polity, society, culture, and population�.
Cambridge University was also ranked in the top 10 for social sciences in the 2007 THES-QS World University Rankings. The university�s Social and Political Sciences degree combines politics, social and developmental psychology, sociology and social anthropology which allows students to study four subjects in the first year, to specialise in the second year, and to broaden out again in the third year.
Down under, Melbourne University�s Bachelor of Arts offers majors and minors across 50 traditional subject areas in the humanities, social sciences and languages.
The career prospects for a graduate of social sciences are unlimited. The social sciences provide a combination of theoretical and practical study, therefore equipping the graduate with a range of transferable skills that can be applied across a range of employment fields in the public and private sectors.
Some possible careers include:
Community and Social Services: psychologist, education advisor, translator
Local and central government: defence strategist, policy analyst, researcher
Business Related: human resource manager, international trade officer, union organiser
These are just a few of the career options out there for social sciences graduate, but there are many more opportunities. Employers look for well-rounded graduates, those who have writing and research skills, good communication and an inquisitive mind. Social sciences graduates have all of the above as well as a strong educational foundation from which to develop and become an asset to any organisation.
| Subject Rank | School Name | Country | Subject Score |
|---|---|---|---|
>> Click here for the top 100 universities in the social sciences. Source: QS Quacquarelli Symonds (www.topuniversities.com) | Copyright © 2004-2008 QS Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. | Click here for copyright and limitations on use. | |||
| 1 | HARVARD University | United States | 100.0 |
| 2 | University of California, BERKELEY | United States | 91.6 |
| 3 | STANFORD University | United States | 82.6 |
| 4 | LONDON School of Economics and Political... | United Kingdom | 82.1 |
| 5 | University of CAMBRIDGE | United Kingdom | 81.8 |
| 6 | University of OXFORD | United Kingdom | 80.8 |
| 7 | YALE University | United States | 80.5 |
| 8 | University of CHICAGO | United States | 79.2 |
| 9 | PRINCETON University | United States | 76.8 |
| 10 | MASSACHUSETTS Institute of Technology (M... | United States | 76.1 |