If you already have your undergraduate degree in a social science and a master's degree, maybe it's time to pursue a doctoral degree in the social sciences. The term social sciences refer to fields of educational study that deal with society. Fields of study that fall into the social sciences category include anthropology, archaeology, business administration, development studies, economics, geography, history, law, linguistics, political science, sociology, international relations, communication, and others.
With a doctoral degree in a social sciences field, you would work in a huge variety of different career fields at a very high level. For example, you could apply to law school and become an attorney. You would have your Juris doctorate degree in law. You could have an MBA, master's of business administration and go to get your doctorate degree in business administration and teach business at a university. Today's business world is competitive and more and more people are getting college degrees. If you want to work in the very top of your field in specialized areas that require research like anthropology, archaeology, and sociology a doctorate degree is almost required, because you often do research and projects in conjunction with a university or college. They require their researchers to generally also be tenured professors who also teach college and a doctorate degree is required to do this. Also, many jobs in high end government departments also require doctorate degree for those in the highest levels of management.
Job Outlook for Doctoral Degrees in Social Sciences
The social sciences are a huge and vast array of different fields of study. The job outlook in these fields varies by location and industry; however, the job outlook is very positive for those with doctorate degrees in many of these areas. For example, for those with a doctorate degree in law, it is expected that the legal field will experience about a 13 percent increase in job growth through 2013, which is above average. Another field that is expected to see very positive job growth is the field of medical and health service managers, a position commonly held by those with an MBA or even a doctorate degree in business administration. This field is expected to see about a 16 percent increase in job growth between now and 2018. This information was obtained from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Acceptance Into Doctorial Programs in Social Sciences
It is important to know that most doctoral program in the social sciences field have quite stringent entrance requirements. Usually, applicants need to have completed both an undergraduate bachelor's degree and a master's degree. Most programs also require applicants to have worked in certain fields for a number of years before entrance to a given doctoral program is granted. Doctoral programs are very rigorous educational experiences and can require several years of study to complete. They also often require a dissertation for graduation.
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