UK defence and the armed forces: roles for doctoral graduates

Data from ‘What Do Researchers Do?' shows that three and a half years after graduation 0.3% of UK doctoral graduates were employed in the armed forces.  The majority of the roles are within the forces themselves (army, naval, airforce offficers), medical and logistical support and engineering personnel. The civilian defence industry has a heavy focus on research and development and typically employs engineers and scientists at doctoral level. 

Doctoral graduates from recent years are known to have worked in the sector in the following profiled roles.

• Biologists
• Doctors (including junior doctors, GPs and consultants)
• Electrical engineers
• Electronic engineers
• IT systems developers
• Mechanical engineers
• Pharmacists
• Physicists and Chemists
• Production, works and maintenance manager
• Research mathematicians
• Science and engineering technicians
• Statisticians

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considered as part of central government and is covered by a separate sector profile.