What do postgraduate students do and earn?
Our tables give a snapshot of jobs and earnings in the UK once you’ve graduated from a postgraduate course.
CONTENTS
What do postgraduate students do?
Many students continue after their undergraduate degree and study at postgraduate level to enhance their career prospects.
The tables below show what students of each subject do after full- and part-time postgraduate study, ranked by the sum of three 'positive' destinations:
- Employed in a professional job
- Employed in a professional job and studying
- Studying and not employed
Professional employment refers to a job or occupation which normally requires a degree.
Non-professional employment refers to a job or occupation which doesn't normally require a degree.
Postgraduate students' destinations after full-time postgraduate study
Professional (normally needs a degree)
| Subject group | Job | Job and study | Study only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and related subjects | 66% | 8% | 7% |
| Architecture, Building & Planning | 82% | 5% | 3% |
| Biological Sciences | 67% | 3% | 11% |
| Business & Administrative Studies | 72% | 2% | 4% |
| Combined | 90% | 0% | 0% |
| Computer Science | 73% | 2% | 10% |
| Creative Arts & Design | 67% | 3% | 6% |
| Education | 93% | 2% | 1% |
| Engineering & Technology | 73% | 2% | 8% |
| Historical & Philosophical Studies | 52% | 3% | 17% |
| Languages | 56% | 3% | 14% |
| Law | 69% | 3% | 14% |
| Mass Communications & Documentation | 72% | 1% | 3% |
| Mathematical Sciences | 67% | 3% | 20% |
| Medicine & Dentistry | 76% | 2% | 14% |
| Physical Sciences | 71% | 2% | 12% |
| Social Studies | 71% | 4% | 8% |
| Subjects allied to Medicine | 81% | 3% | 8% |
| Veterinary Science | 79% | 3% | 11% |
| Average | 72% | 2% | 9% |
Non-professional (doesn't normally need a degree)
| Subject group | Job | Job and study | Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and related subjects | 13% | 0% | 6% |
| Architecture, Building & Planning | 4% | 0% | 5% |
| Biological Sciences | 12% | 1% | 6% |
| Business & Administrative Studies | 12% | 0% | 9% |
| Combined | 0% | 0% | 10% |
| Computer Science | 6% | 0% | 9% |
| Creative Arts & Design | 16% | 1% | 7% |
| Education | 2% | 0% | 1% |
| Engineering & Technology | 7% | 0% | 10% |
| Historical & Philosophical Studies | 20% | 1% | 6% |
| Languages | 20% | 1% | 7% |
| Law | 9% | 0% | 5% |
| Mass Communications & Documentation | 16% | 0% | 8% |
| Mathematical sciences | 4% | 0% | 6% |
| Medicine & Dentistry | 4% | 0% | 4% |
| Physical Sciences | 8% | 0% | 6% |
| Social Studies | 10% | 0% | 6% |
| Subjects allied to Medicine | 4% | 0% | 4% |
| Veterinary Science | 5% | 0% | 1% |
| Average | 9% | 0% | 6% |
Postgraduate students' destinations after part-time postgraduate study
Professional (normally needs a degree)
| Subject group | Job | Job and study | Study only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and related subjects | 76% | 5% | 4% |
| Architecture, Building & Planning | 94% | 2% | 2% |
| Biological Sciences | 77% | 6% | 6% |
| Business & Administrative Studies | 89% | 4% | 1% |
| Combined | 93% | 3% | 0% |
| Computer Science | 82% | 6% | 3% |
| Creative Arts & Design | 76% | 4% | 4% |
| Education | 88% | 6% | 3% |
| Engineering & Technology | 90% | 4% | 2% |
| Historical & Philosophical Studies | 64% | 6% | 12% |
| Languages | 68% | 4% | 9% |
| Law | 78% | 8% | 7% |
| Mass Communications & Documentation | 73% | 3% | 4% |
| Mathematical Sciences | 79% | 5% | 6% |
| Medicine & Dentistry | 90% | 5% | 3% |
| Physical Sciences | 79% | 4% | 6% |
| Social Studies | 83% | 5% | 5% |
| Subjects allied to Medicine | 86% | 6% | 5% |
| Veterinary Science | 93% | 7% | 0% |
| Average | 82% | 4% | 4% |
Non-professional (doesn't normally need a degree)
| Subject group | Job | Job and study | Unemployed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture and related subjects | 11% | 2% | 2% |
| Architecture, Building & Planning | 1% | 0% | 1% |
| Biological Sciences | 7% | 0% | 3% |
| Business & Administrative Studies | 3% | 0% | 2% |
| Combined | 0% | 0% | 3% |
| Computer Science | 4% | 1% | 4% |
| Creative Arts & Design | 11% | 1% | 4% |
| Education | 2% | 0% | 1% |
| Engineering & Technology | 2% | 0% | 2% |
| Historical & Philosophical Studies | 13% | 2% | 3% |
| Languages | 13% | 1% | 4% |
| Law | 5% | 0% | 2% |
| Mass Communications & Documentation | 14% | 1% | 6% |
| Mathematical Sciences | 5% | 1% | 6% |
| Medicine & Dentistry | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| Physical Sciences | 6% | 0% | 4% |
| Social Studies | 5% | 0% | 2% |
| Subjects allied to Medicine | 1% | 0% | 1% |
| Veterinary Science | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Average | 5% | 0% | 2% |
What do postgraduate students earn?
The higher earning potential of doing a postgraduate degree draws many students into continuing their studies.
The table below shows the average salaries of postgraduate students from different subject areas entering employment into:
| Subject group | Professional jobs (usually needs a degree) | All jobs (professional and non-professional) |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Administrative Studies | £46,966 | £45,547 |
| Medicine & Dentistry | £44,836 | £44,563 |
| Engineering & Technology | £36,930 | £36,452 |
| Computer Science | £36,522 | £36,002 |
| Mathematical Sciences | £35,370 | £34,986 |
| Veterinary Science | £35,331 | £35,336 |
| Subjects allied to Medicine | £34,601 | £34,302 |
| Social Studies | £32,881 | £31,918 |
| Law | £32,699 | £31,716 |
| Architecture, Building & Planning | £31,755 | £31,547 |
| Combined | £30,152 | £30,152 |
| Physical Sciences | £30,080 | £29,370 |
| Biological Sciences | £29,713 | £28,523 |
| Historical & Philosophical Studies | £29,149 | £27,070 |
| Agriculture and related subjects | £28,393 | £27,685 |
| Education | £27,614 | £27,452 |
| Creative Arts & Design | £27,151 | £25,581 |
| Languages | £26,699 | £24,892 |
| Mass Communications & Documentation | £25,165 | £24,241 |
| All Subjects | £32,737 | £31,965 |
Published September 2018. Date sources: HESA 2016–17, Destination of Leavers from Higher Education survey (DLHE), which asked UK and EU domiciled graduates what they’re doing on a particular reference date roughly six months after graduation.
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