Life after International Studies
Did you ever wonder about your opportunities after graduating? Did most International Studies students go to find a job or did the majority go on to pursue their Master’s degree? And maybe more interesting, in what kind of sectors do they end up once they start working? This year, the Career Service Humanities conducted a survey amongst alumni who graduated between 2016 and 2020 to hear about what happened after graduation….
A Master or start working?
More than half of all International Studies graduates decided to continue and went on to do a Master’s degree. Interesting to see: the most popular direction by far was a Master’s degree in Social Science, whereas about 20% decided to stay in the field of Humanities.
However, some decided to take a different direction: almost one third of International Studies graduates decided to start their career immediately after receiving their Bachelor’s degree. And why not? Over 75% found employment within two months.
Use your network!
If you’ve ever doubted about the use of networking, be aware: Half of the alumni mentioned they found their first job via their network. The persons they consider as their network are family, friends, lecturers, or the network they built up via experience during their studies such as an internship or part-time job. So maybe a good idea to get started.
Entry jobs after International Studies
Good to know that the majority found a job quickly, but where do International Studies graduates end up with a ‘broad’ degree such as International Studies? Perhaps surprisingly, more than two third is working in the profit sector, versus about one third in the non-profit sector. Compared to other Humanities graduates, International Studies alumni are more represented in the branches Consultancy, Research and (semi) Government. Other popular branches are Financial Institutions and Communication & Marketing. Main duties during a working day are often focused on communication, researching and coordinating.
Nine out of ten respondents who decided to continue their education with a Master’s degree mention they found a position on a Bachelor’s+ level. The work they do, differs slightly as they mention that advising and policy making is also included in their tasks.
Read more
Read the story of alumna Alba Medina Bermejo who currently works for the International Organization for Migration in Cairo. Curious about all results and the testimonials of other former students? See here. Do not forget to check the alumni dreams for more career inspiration from former students International Studies.
