Most popular majors of university students in the United Kingdom

Here’s a straight-talking look at what students in the United Kingdom study—and where they usually land right after graduation. The UK job market is wide and deep. Big public services sit next to fast-moving tech and creative industries. Graduate schemes are common, but so are smaller teams that want you to roll up your sleeves from day one. Your degree opens a door. Your projects, internships, and reliability push it open.

Below are the 20 most popular majors you’ll see across the UK, with practical notes on the jobs new grads step into—even when the role isn’t a perfect match to the major.

• Business / Management
  Common first roles include operations assistant, account executive, customer success, junior project manager, and sales development across tech, retail, logistics, and consulting; many join structured graduate schemes.
• Nursing
  New nurses start in NHS hospital wards, community health, mental health, and primary care; private clinics and occupational health add steady demand.
• Psychology
  Graduates move into HR, recruitment, organisational development, UX research, and support roles in healthcare and education; the mix of data and people skills travels well.
• Computer Science / Software Engineering
  First stops: junior software developer, QA, DevOps assistant, data analyst, and product analyst in fintech, health tech, gaming, e-commerce, and public digital services.
• Law (LLB)
  Popular starts include paralegal, legal assistant, compliance analyst, and contract specialist; regulated sectors—finance, health, energy—value risk and regulatory skills.
• Engineering (Mechanical)
  Production, maintenance, quality, and product development roles in automotive, aerospace, energy, advanced manufacturing, and med-tech.
• Biological / Biomedical Sciences
  Lab technician, clinical research coordinator, QA/RA in medical devices and pharma, and biomanufacturing; many pivot into technical sales or applications support.
• Education / Teacher Training
  Primary and secondary teaching, learning support, and pastoral roles; ed-tech, assessment, and corporate L&D for those who prefer applied learning design.
• Economics
  Policy analysis, consulting, banking and insurance pricing, market research, and strategy roles inside large organisations; the data toolkit opens doors.
• Finance
  Corporate finance (FP&A), banking operations, credit risk, treasury support, and insurance underwriting; fintech product ops is a fast grower.
• Accounting
  Audit and tax assistant are classics, with financial reporting, payroll, and compliance across private and public employers; apprenticeship pathways remain strong.
• Marketing / Communications
  Brand and product marketing, performance marketing, social/content, CRM, and employer branding; in-house and agency routes both work if you show outcomes.
• Engineering (Electrical / Electronic)
  Building services, power systems, renewables, embedded systems, and EV infrastructure; field commissioning builds experience quickly.
• Civil / Infrastructure Engineering
  Site engineer, transport or water engineer, and project planner on rail, roads, housing, and climate-resilience projects; public-private partnerships hire year-round.
• Social Sciences / Politics / International Relations
  Policy assistant, NGO programme officer, research associate, communications, and business development; many shift into consulting or talent acquisition.
• Design / Media / Creative Arts
  UX/UI, visual design, motion, and content production across agencies, media, startups, and product teams; portfolios with measurable impact beat flashy mockups.
• Pharmacy / Pharmacology
  Community and hospital pharmacy (where licensed), medicines management, pharmacovigilance, and regulatory support; pharma operations value accuracy and systems thinking.
• Mathematics / Statistics / Data
  Data analyst, pricing analyst, risk, and analytics engineering posts in finance, retail, transport, health, and energy; SQL plus a bit of Python goes a long way.
• History / English / Humanities
  Communications, publishing, policy support, research, customer operations, and graduate schemes that prize writing, analysis, and stakeholder skills.
• Sports Science / Physiotherapy (where applicable)
  Strength and conditioning, rehabilitation support, coaching, and performance analysis; many grads move into health promotion and corporate wellness.

A few UK-specific tips to turn this into action:

• Graduate schemes are everywhere—and competitive. Apply early, tailor each application, and track your progress like a sales pipeline. If you’re late to the party, mid-sized firms and startups can be faster and more flexible.
• Show the work, not just the coursework. A small app, a data dashboard, a campaign that drove sign-ups, a redesign that cut waste—put numbers to it. “Increased bookings 18% over six weeks” says more than “motivated self-starter.”
• NHS and public sector are serious career paths. Digital, analytics, estates, and procurement all hire graduates. These roles teach process, delivery, and stakeholder management at scale.
• Language helps, but clarity wins. Most UK teams operate in English, so plain writing and concise updates are a superpower. Keep your CV to two pages max, front-load outcomes, and skip buzzwords.
• Internships and part-time work compound. A weekend retail job that hits targets plus a uni project with real users beats a list of modules. Employers care about evidence you can deliver.

Bottom line: pick a programme that teaches you to think clearly, build useful things, and communicate results. Stack internships and projects that prove you can ship. Aim at the sectors that are growing—digital, energy transition, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and professional services—and let your early wins compound. Your major is the starting block. Your habits and outcomes carry you across the finish lines that matter.