Uni students studying courses of the mind highly satisfied
Satisfaction is high in university students studying the science of human behaviour but experts warn graduates need a greater awareness of employment options to improve their career paths.
Tertiary
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Students studying the science of human behaviour are some of the most content in the country, according to new research from The Good Universities Guide.
Experts say skills obtained in these disciplines — such as criminology and justice, counselling and psychology — are increasingly favoured in the workforce but graduates need a greater awareness of their employment options.
The Good Universities Guide head of data and analytics Ross White said: “Undergraduates studying courses in the mind are among the most satisfied with their experiences while at university but need to consider their options to ensure their time at university translates to positive graduate employment outcomes.
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“On average, 83 per cent of psychology students across all universities are satisfied with their educational experience overall, 62 per cent of psych graduates in the employment market find full-time roles four months post graduation,” Mr White said.
He said social work and criminology students are better at employment after graduating at 70 per cent and 75 per cent respectively.
“Students studying criminology are captured in a broader field, law and paralegal studies, which includes law graduates. That may skew the employment result,” he said.
SEEK employment analyst Leigh Broderick says there is a demand for these skills in the workforce.
“Month to month we are seeing job ad growth in the healthcare and medical sector remain stable in NSW,” he said. “Growth is still strong for roles specific to the sector, including psychology, counselling and social work.”
SEEK anticipates over the next five years demand for clinical psychologists will increase by 30 per cent, social workers by 8 per cent, counsellors by 17.8 per cent and criminologists by 3.1 per cent.