This article is translated by UiOGPT Version 4
Each year, around a thousand students graduate from the Faculty of Social Sciences (SV). The candidate survey is a good indicator of how they fare in the job market, and to what extent they make use of their education from SV.
Everyone who completed a Bachelor's, Master's, Professional degree, teacher education, or Ph.D. from UiO between fall 2018 and spring 2023 was invited to participate in the survey. 48.6 percent responded, nearly 10,782 candidates from across the university.
The results are an important source of insight, and not least encouraging reading for all those involved in teaching and developing the study programs at the SV faculty, according to Study Dean Tora Skodvin.
"The candidate survey confirms the pleasing trend from the Study Barometer a month ago. Our students increasingly experience that the education they get at the SV faculty is important and relevant for the job market," she says.
"We have not received specific numbers for our study programs, so there may be variations within the faculty. But the big picture shows that our students are attractive and satisfied with the competence they get from the SV faculty."
95 percent employed within one year
The professional education in psychology provides students with the ability to work as a certified psychologist, while the faculty's discipline-specific and interdisciplinary educations give students a wider range of opportunities. The results show that 95 percent of SV students are employed within one year after graduation. Almost half of all graduated candidates from SV had already found a job before finishing their studies.
78 percent think that the SV education is relevant or very relevant to the job they have gotten.
"I believe the good numbers are a result of a lengthy effort at the faculty, where we have focused on strengthening job-related measures in our study programs," says Skodvin.
At the same time, she sees potential for improvement in how the faculty prepares students for a future career.
"SV students want even more practical experience in their education, more job-related teaching, and better guidance about the opportunities they will have in the job market, while they are still students."
Read the report from The canidate survey in Norwegian!
A wide range of initiatives
Study Dean Tora Skodvin emphasizes that job relevance is high on the priority list for the SV Faculty. In addition to an already well-developed work placement offer, several new study programs at SV have received their own practice subjects, for example, the master's programs in social anthropology, economics, and political science.
"We can see from the survey that the students' practical experience has been useful in their further careers and working life. Practical experience and internships are therefore something we will continue to develop at the SV Faculty," says Skodvin.
She also points out the initiative 'Discover your future,' where students receive career support integrated into their studies.
"'Find your future' is one of many good and concrete measures that can make our students even better adapted to working life," says Skodvin.
"But not everyone knows that such an offer actually exists at SV. The candidate survey shows that many want to learn more about how they can communicate their skills to employers. Therefore, we must get better at informing about the good offers that already exist.
Hot skills
Tora Skodvin, who has just taken up the role of Study Dean, is looking forward to continuing the work in creating the conditions for future students to get the most useful and work-relevant education at the SV faculty.
"Despite many important measures to strengthen the relevance of our study programs for employment, we must remember that the social science skills our students possess are attractive in the job market," she says.
"We should be proud of who we are and what we can do, at the same time as we continue to develop, and ensure that our study programs meet the needs of society."
More in Norwegian: Satisfied with the education and quickly find employment