School of Humanities
Studying Humanities at Dundee University gives you a huge range of skills and knowledge that will make you attractive to a wide range of graduate employers. But, because your degree is not ‘vocational’ this huge range of graduate destinations can sometimes leave you asking ‘What can I do with a humanities degree?’
In this section of our website, you will find some links and resources connected with a sample of the careers you can pursue as a Humanities graduate. It is not intended to be a definitive list of all careers for Humanities students.
If you are unsure about what you want to do after graduation or can’t find what you are looking for here, you should arrange to meet with your Careers Adviser Lynsay Pickering.
You can also link to the A-Z of Graduate Jobs, find out about Work Experience and Volunteering or search our JobShop for vacancies.
Career Options
For more career ideas, have a look at the "Options with…" series on Prospects Website
| Options with English | Options with English |
| Options with History | Options with History |
| Options with Philosophy | Options with Philosophy |
| Options with Politics and International Relations | Options with Politics and International Relations |
Occupational Links
Government and Public Administration
General
| Scottish Government vacancies | Scottish Government vacancies |
| Scottish Parliament vacancies | Scottish Parliament vacancies - click on “jobs” at the bottom of the page |
| Civil Service Fast Stream | General Graduate Fast Stream (including Diplomatic Service) Analytical Fast Stream HR Fast Stream Technology in Business Fast Stream European Fast Stream Northern Ireland Fast Stream |
Intelligence
| Government Communications (GCHQ) | One of the UK’s three Intelligence Services |
| Secret Intelligence Service | MI6 |
Local Government Jobs
| In Scotland | Links to all Local Government advertised vacancies |
| National Graduate Development Programme | Graduate Training Scheme for Local Government – England and Wales only |
| Working for an MP | Jobs and internships in Westminster, the regions, Europe and constituencies |
Public Affairs
| Electus | Recruitment agency for public Affairs Jobs. *Not many graduate-entry jobs |
| Public Affairs Network | Professional Network body for public affairs, government relations, policy & communications industry. Visit their Jobs Board for vacancies |
NGOs and Charities
| OneWorld | Policy and NGO jobs worldwide |
| Charityjobs.co.uk | Charity jobs board |
| Goodmoves | Scottish charities jobs |
Think Tanks
| IPPR | Institute for Public Policy Research. Offer Internships |
| FPC | Foreign Policy Centre. Offer volunteering positions |
Social and Political Research
General
| Social Science by Numbers: Careers with Quantitative Methods | Careers with Quantitative Methods |
| New Statesman Magazine | Wide variety of politics related jobs, mainly experienced roles |
Public Affairs
| Electus | Recruitment agency for public Affairs Jobs. *Not many graduate-entry jobs |
| Public Affairs Network | Professional Network body for public affairs, government relations, policy & communications industry. Visit their Jobs Board for vacancies |
Think Tanks
| IPPR | Institute for Public Policy Research. Offer Internships |
| FPC | Foreign Policy Centre. Offer volunteering positions |
| Working for an MP | Jobs and internships in Westminster, the regions, Europe and constituencies |
Journalism, Publishing & Media
| Publishing Scotland | Publishing Scotland |
| Creative Skillset | Creative Skillset Careers provides specialist careers information for the creative industries |
| National Council for the Training of Journalists | Includes a list of accredited postgrad journalism courses |
Teaching and Social Work
Teaching
Scotland
| General Teaching Council for Scotland | General Teaching Council for Scotland |
| Teach in Scotland | Teaching in Scotland |
| Entry Qualifications for Teaching in Scotland | Entry qualifications for teaching in Scotland |
| Information on the Scottish School Curriculum | Information on the Scottish School Curriculum |
| Education Scotland | Alternative site for information on the Scottish School Curriculum |
Northern Ireland
| Teaching In Northern Ireland | Teaching in Northern Ireland |
England and Wales
| General Teaching Council for England | General Teaching Council for England |
| Department for Education Teaching Agency | Department for Education / Teaching Agency |
General
| Graduate Teacher Training Registry | Apply for Postgrad teaching courses |
| Vacancies board | |
| TEFL | TEaching English as a Foreign Language |
Social Work
| Scottish Social Service Council | The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) is responsible for registering people who work in social services and regulating their education and training |
International Development & Charities
| Overseas Development Institute | Offers a scheme for postgraduate economists to work in developing countries |
| OneWorld | Policy and NGO jobs worldwide |
| Charityjobs.co.uk | Charity jobs board |
| Goodmoves | Scottish charities jobs |
Library, Archives, Museums and Galleries
| Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals | CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers |
| Museums Association | A membership organisation for everyone working in museums, galleries and heritage |
| Archives and Records Association | The Archives and Records Association is the lead professional body for archivists, archive conservators and records managers in the United Kingdom and Ireland |
Further Study
Visit the further study pages of this website for more general information about further study and funding. Below are some specific links for Humanities students.
| Beyond the PhD | Advice and Tips on what do to after a PhD |
Work, Internships and Work Experience Abroad
| Mountbatten Institute | Paid internships in the USA for graduates that allow you to work towards a postgraduate certificate or MBA in International Business Practice |
| AIESEC | Volunteering, teaching or working professionally abroad over the summer or after graduation. |
| Jobs Abroad | Portal for finding work in Europe and worldwide. |
| Iagora | Lists internships and work placements in Europe and worldwide, with additional details of language courses, housing, hotels and travel. |
| VIF International | Teaching in the USA - for qualified teachers, opportunities in the USA. |
| Language Work | The national information resource on careers with languages |
United Nations
| IAESTE | The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience. Paid placements in industry, universities and research institutes for full time undergraduate students of engineering, science, technology, agriculture, architecture and related fields who have completed at least one year of study. |
| European Union | Most traineeships (also known as stagiaires) are in the European Commission. Below are links to the individual institutions in Europe with details of their internships |
| European Parliament | Links to all the various traineeships and study visits offered by the European Parliament. |
| European Commission | Information on all the EC’s Traineeships. |
| Council of Ministers | Information on Traineeships with the Council of Ministers. |
| European Court of Justice | Traineeships with CURIA (European Court of Justice). |
| European Central Bank | Job opportunities with the European Central Bank. Aimed at graduates who have studied economics, finance, law, business administration, human resources and translation. |
| Committee of the Regions | Traineeships with the Committee of Regions |
| European Court of Justice | Five month paid traineeships for those are interested in the legal aspects of the EU, especially future lawyers or academics with a degree in law or political science. |
| European Court of Auditors | Five month internship in legal or accounting affairs. |
| Council of Europe | Traineeships at the CoE last three months from January, April. You can apply if you have at least three years of university study and a knowledge of another EU language. |
| Centre for European Policy Studies | Centre for European Policy Studies |
| European Centre for Modern Languages | European Centre for Modern Languages |
Study Abroad
Below are some useful websites to help you get started thinking about studying overseas. This is not intended as a definitive list of resources.
| Interested in studying in the USA? Fulbright can help! We are the official source of information on applying to American universities for the United Kingdom. The Fulbright Commission also offers scholarship awards and summer programmes for UK citizens to study, lecture or research in the USA. | |
| ERASMUS | Opportunities for study in Europe for part of your degree. University of Dundee has over 100 partners across 22 countries. It may be possible to do a work placement instead of study but this must be a requirement of your programme of study. Eligible from 2nd year onwards for 3 – 12 months. Information on funded pre-Erasmus language courses. |
| Eurodesk | Information on studying, working, travelling and volunteering in Europe, for young people and for youth workers. |
| Study in Europe | Database of undergraduate and postgraduate courses taught in English in Europe. |
European Union
| Youth Portal | Links on working, studying and volunteering abroad, for all EU member states, EEA countries and Turkey |
| How to Choose a Course in Europe | This website also provides information on other aspects of working or studying in Europe |
| Portal on Learning Opportunities | Portal on Learning Opportunities throughout the European Space – provides information on how education systems vary within the EU, and country by country practical information on living in another EU country, visas, tuition fees etc |
| Educational Exchange Programmes | Database on educational exchange programmes - can provide you with the country profile, links to visa requirements and study resources as well as a search engine for finding courses abroad |
Postgraduate Study
| European Masters Programmes | Portal of masters courses available in Europe |
| Erasmus Masters | Masters courses for which Erasmus funding is available |
Temporary Work & Volunteering Abroad
Below are some useful websites to help you get started thinking about temporary work and volunteering overseas. This is not intended as a definitive list of resources.
| Eurodesk | Information on studying, working, travelling and volunteering in Europe, for young people and for youth workers |
| eurosummerjobs.com | Summer jobs in Europe |
| AIESEC | Volunteering, teaching or working professionally abroad over the summer or after graduation. |
| VSO | International Volunteer Opportunities |
| International Voluntary Service | The leading charity involving volunteers in international exchanges. |
| UN Volunteering | Opportunities to volunteer overseas for candidates with transferable skills or experience. |
| British Council | Volunteer opportunities for young people specifically in Europe |
Humanities Careers Expo 2012
The Humanities Career Expo is an annual event organised by the Careers Service specifically for students in American Studies, English, European Studies, History, Philosophy and Politics.
This year's event was held on Wednesday 14th March 2012 in the Tower Building. Interact with our 'virtual' Humanities Careers Expo, where you can re-visit many of the presentations and find useful links to more information. If you were unable to attend the event this year, you can explore what you missed and whet you appetite for next year!
Lynsay Pickering
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