What can I do with a degree in Health and Social Care?

Find out where the range of skills you develop studying health and social care can take you. Here we list potential careers and tell you how you can find a job in this sector.

Health and Social Care Careers

The occupations listed below are a selection of those which may interest students and graduates from Health and Social Care. 

Human Resource Officer

Human resources personnel are tasked with developing policies and procedures related to all staff employed in that particular organisation. Duties include recruiting staff, organisational development and staff training. 

Prospects Job Profile: Human Resources Officer
Target Jobs Job Website Job Profile: Human Resource Officer

Health Services Manager

Health Services Managers plan, direct and coordinate health services. They may oversee specific departments or entire faculties. 

Prospects Job Profile: Health Services Manager
Target Jobs Job Website Job Profile: Health Services Manager

Youth Worker

Youth workers engage with young people in a variety of settings to give support and guidance, generally to those between the ages of 11 and 25.

Prospects Job Profile: Youth Worker
Target Jobs Job Website Job Profile: Youth Worker

Charity Worker

A number of opportunities exist within charities and NGO’s including a number of administration roles. Duties will vary depending on the size and scope of the charity

Prospects Job Profile: Charity Worker
Target Jobs Job Website Job Profile: Charity Worker

Social Worker

Social workers help vulnerable people to cope better with everyday life. They help individuals, families and groups to cope better with their problems in order to improve their lives.

Prospects Job Profile: Social Worker
Target Jobs Job Website Job Profile: Social Worker

Please note that some of these careers may require further study.
For further information on these careers, see also:

Thank you to Prospects for the content on these pages.

Other careers

A health and social care degree may be useful in the following career areas:

Advice Worker/Personal Adviser

Advice workers provide advice and guidance to people on a range of issues. As an advice worker you may work in a variety of settings including community centres and call centres.

Prospects Job Profile: Advice Worker

Civil Service Administrator

The Fast Stream is a development programme designed to prepare graduates for careers at the highest levels of the Civil Service and Diplomatic Service

Prospects Job Profile: Civil Service Administrator
Target Jobs Website Job Profile: Civil Service Administrator

Counsellor 

A counsellor is a trained listener who will provide support in a confidential setting. They help people to deal with negative thoughts and feelings.

Prospects Job Profile: Counsellor

Further Education Lecturer 

FE lecturers teach adult learners over 16 and students aged 14-16 on work related learning

Prospects Job Profile: Further Education Lecturer

Health Promotion Specialist

Health promotion specialists promote good health and may develop health policies.

Prospects Job Profile: Health Improvement Practitioner
Target Jobs Website Job Profile: Health Promotion Specialist

Local Government Officer 

Local government officers develop council policies and procedures which allow local services to be delivered.

Prospects Job Profile: Local Government Officer
Target Job Profile: Local Government Officer

Probation Officer

Probation officers work with ex offenders to rehabilitate them into society.

Prospects Job Profile: Probation Officer

Medical Sales Representative

Medical Sales Representatives are the link between pharmaceutical companies and medical professionals. It is a sales role.

Prospects Job Profile: Medical Sales Representative
Target Jobs Website Job Profile: Medical Sales Representative

You may be interested in graduate roles outside of health and social care. There are many employers who are looking for graduates with good degrees but that don’t have a preference for the subject studied. To explore different career options see:

Skills gained

As well as subject-specific knowledge and skills, a graduate in health and social care will typically have gain 

  • Analytical Skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Team-working skills
  • Organisational skills
  • Leadership skills
  • Reflection 
  • Articulation
  • Verbal and written communication skills
  • Present ideas and arguments verbally
  • Persuasion, influence, negotiating skills
  • Work independently
  • IT skills 

This is not an exhaustive list of skills – you will develop many skills from your course, extra-curricular activities and work experience. 

Find a job

The Careers and Employability Service provides information and advice on job searching to University of Kent students and recent graduates. This includes a vacancy database advertising a range of graduate jobs, sandwich placements and vacation work/internships. The websites listed below may also be useful when searching for a job and when looking for further information on this sector. 

More websites offering graduate jobs, internships and placement years

You may also find useful reviews and application/interview tips for specific organisations on the following websites:
Glassdoor
The Job Crowd

Further study

Students may progress to postgraduate training in social work and other professional courses.

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