Social and humanities scientists study and analyse human behaviour and the origin, structure and characteristics of language undertake research in areas such as sociology, economics, politics, archaeology, history, philosophy, literature, the arts organise the collection of qualitative and quantitative information and perform subsequent analyses.
Also calledCriminologistSocial science researcherArchaeologistSocial survey officerGis officerArchaeologist site assistantand 48 more titles
Recruitment from abroad. 50 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, Germany, India, ranking it 133rd of 313. Home Office
Who does it
ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
89%hold a degree
58%women
Age of social and humanities scientists
Age profile of social and humanities scientists
5.2%!
30%!
33%!
17%!
15%!
n/p
16–2425–3435–4445–5455–6465+
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publishShow as table
16–24
5.2% (small sample)
25–34
30% (small sample)
35–44
33% (small sample)
45–54
17% (small sample)
55–64
15% (small sample)
65+
Not published
Highest qualification
Highest qualification held by social and humanities scientists
Degree or equivalent89%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!9.9%
GCSEs or equivalent–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with cautionShow as table
Degree or equivalent
89%
Higher education below degree
Not published
A levels or equivalent
9.9% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent
Not published
Main employers: general public administration activities (19%), regulation of the activities of providing health care, education, cultural services and other social services, excluding social security (13%), other social work activities without accommodation nec (5.9%), tertiary education (5.4%).
How to get in
Hold a degree
89%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
4
from level 6, including degree apprenticeships
Apprenticeships take
2 to 5 years
typically
Routes in
Criminologist
You can get into this job through:
University
You can do a degree in:
criminology
criminal justice and psychology
sociology
youth justice
law and criminology
You can also do a postgraduate qualification in criminology. Most degree subjects are accepted as entry but relevant work experience can also be taken into account.
It's useful to get experience through internships, volunteering and work placements during your studies.
For example, you could work with adults or young people affected by the criminal justice system, or people who are the victims of crime. This can help you explore the options for future research or criminology specialisms.
Your university careers service can help you find opportunities.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
Other routes
You could apply for a place on the Government Social Research Fast Stream programme to work in the Civil Service.
You'll need an upper second class degree or higher, in criminology or social sciences, to apply.
What you’ll need
pass enhanced background checks
pass security checks
Registration and professional bodies
Professional and industry bodies
You could join the British Society of Criminology for professional development, networking opportunities, latest news and events.
Further information
You can find out more about working in crime and justice from GOV.UK.
Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for criminologist. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Archaeologist
You can get into this job through:
University
Most professional archaeologists have a degree and many also have a postgraduate qualification.
You can do a degree in archaeology or a related subject, like:
environmental archaeology
human evolution
archaeological science
ancient history
conservation and cultural heritage
You can search for higher education archaeology courses on British Archaeological Jobs and Resources.
After completing a first degree, you could take a postgraduate course and specialise in a particular field.
Examples include:
osteoarchaeology - studying human remains
marine archaeology - investigating coastal and underwater sites
digital archaeology - creating visualisations of ruins and finds
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do an Archaeological Technician Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, with an archaeological consultancy, university department or heritage organisation. This could lead to a position like archaeological site assistant or finds technician.
With further training, you could become a professional archaeologist.
You could also complete an Archaeological Specialist Level 7 Postgraduate Degree Apprenticeship.
The degree apprenticeship typically takes 3 years to complete and combines learning on-the-job with university study.
Employers will assess your skills, experience and qualifications when you apply, and usually require a relevant first degree.
Entry requirements
Employers will set their own entry requirements.
Volunteering
Competition for courses and jobs is very strong. It's essential that you get practical experience.
Local and regional archaeological associations run volunteer fieldwork programmes for all age groups.
These offer you the chance to get hands-on experience, doing tasks like:
site surveys
excavations
recording finds
You can find volunteering opportunities through the Council for British Archaeology.
Registration and professional bodies
Career tips
There are a lot of different specialisms in archaeology and skills you have from another career can be useful, for example:
computer-aided design (CAD)
illustration
photography
geographical information systems (GIS)
Professional and industry bodies
You can join the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists for professional development training and networking opportunities.
Further information
You'll find more details about how to become an archaeologist from the:
Council for British Archaeology
Chartered Institute for Archaeologists
Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for archaeologist. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
An MA or MSc degree in an Archaeology or Archaeological Science subject
Leads to
Chartered Institute for Archaeologists
Employers may ask for
While any entry requirements will be a matter for individual employers, candidates will typically have GCSEs (or equivalent) at A*- C (9-4) including maths…
studies society and the manner in which people behave and impact upon the world
undertakes research across the humanities that furthers understanding of human culture and creativity
traces the evolution of word and language forms, compares grammatical structures and analyses the relationships between ancient, parent and modern languages
identifies, compiles and analyses economic, demographic, legal, political, social and other data to address research objectives
administers questionnaires, carries out interviews, organises focus groups and implements other social research tools
undertakes analyses of data, presents results of research to sponsors, the media and other interested organisations
addresses conferences and publishes articles detailing the methodology and results of research undertaken
Skills
perform scientific research
write scientific papers
apply scientific methods
develop scientific theories
write research proposals
apply statistical analysis techniques
observe human behaviour
apply knowledge of human behaviour
conduct public surveys
research human behaviour
apply teaching strategies
interview focus groups
collect data using GPS
conduct qualitative research
Knowledge
scientific research methodology
anthropology
sociology
statistics
archaeology
biology
cultural history
history
Suits people who like
Working with ideas and solving problems
Organising and following procedures
Outlook
DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for science, research, engineering and technology professionals, a group of 28 jobs that includes social and humanities scientists.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 18%about 394,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.
This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.
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