Combined Arts

Over the course of your degree you develop a wide mix of subject-specific and technical skills, you should consider these skills developed on your course as well as through your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile.

Prospects

A 2010 HESA survey of 2009 graduates indicates that six months after graduation just over 60% of combined arts students were in UK or overseas employment. Over a quarter of those were working in arts, design, culture and sports professions. A further quarter had found employment in retail, catering, waiting and bar work. Approximately 15% were employed in other unspecified occupations, while around 6% were working in both the education sector, and the commercial, industrial and public sector.

The variety and flexibility of studying a combination of subjects offers graduates a wide range of career options. Studying combined arts allows you to keep your options open.

Many graduates choose careers unrelated to their subjects, whilst many enter jobs that they don’t consider as permanent, using this job as a ‘stepping stone’ to gain experience for their long-term career aims.

About half of combined arts graduates go into graduate-level jobs, although this figure varies significantly depending on the course and the institution.

Typical career areas that graduates in this subject enter immediately after graduation include administration, business, corporate social responsibility, creative industries, development, finance, media, public service, sales and statistics.

Studying combined arts could allow you to study a language alongside another subject. The number of linguistic courses in the UK is declining; therefore graduates with linguistic skills stand out and are especially employable and may work abroad.

Where are the jobs?

Combined arts graduates are employed by a wide range of organisations including businesses, charities, government, institutions and non-governmental bodies.

For an insight into employment areas invesigate:

• Banking, investment and insurance and building societies, broking firms, independent financial advisers, insurance and reinsurance companies;
• Education Government and public administration

Jobs directly related to your degree, or where your degree would be useful

• Broadcast journalist
• Civil Service administrator
• Commissioning editor
• Health Service manager
• Higher education lecturer
• Human resources officer
• Insurance underwriter
• Management consultant
• Paralegal
• Publishing rights manager

Although some of the jobs listed here might not be first jobs for many graduates, they are among the many realistic possibilities with your degree, provided you can demonstrate you have the attributes employers are looking for. Bear in mind that it's not just your degree discipline that determines your options. Remember that many graduate vacancies don't specify particular degree disciplines, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here.

You can find more about the skills you develop during your course, the jobs listed above, plus case studies and where to find these jobs at Prospects.

Included with the permission of AGCAS. For the latest version of this publication, see www.prospects.ac.uk. For permission to reproduce, contact copyright@agcas.org.uk