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Federal Career Guide

Social Sciences

Overview

Social sciences professionals in federal government use research, analysis and human services expertise to support public programs, inform policy decisions, preserve historical resources and improve the well-being of communities. They may provide counseling or social services, conduct research and program evaluation, analyze public policies, manage museum or archival collections or create written content that informs and engages the public. 

This work is ideal for individuals who enjoy solving social challenges, conducting research, preserving history, communicating complex information and using their knowledge and skills to make a positive impact through public service. 

What You Might Work On 

In the federal government, professionals in this field often: 

  • Identify community needs and design programs to meet those needs at a national level 
  • Curate exhibits and catalog historic items for national museums and archives 
  • Research policies and regulations and draft reports with findings  
  • Provide treatment to vulnerable populations in federal institutions 

Is This a Good Fit? 

While roles and responsibilities vary, you might enjoy this field if you: 

  • Want to implement policies and programs that help the public and other federal employees 
  • Practice as a trained professional in psychology or social work in the public sector 
  • Enjoy performing research and analysis as part of your job 

Job series codes  

What are job series codes? 
In the federal government, most jobs are grouped into “job series” based on the type of work. Each series has a four-digit code (for example, Psychology, 0180). 

How to use them: 
You can use job series codes to narrow your search on USAJOBS. Start with a keyword (like “program analyst”), then add a series code for more targeted results. Here are a few examples to get you started — there are hundreds of job series codes across the federal government! 

Code Series / category nameCommon keywords What you’ll do
0006 Correctional Institution Administration Correctional Program Specialist, Correctional Institution Administrator Oversee correctional institutions and supervise staff members 
0020 Community Planning Community Planner, Project Manager Design land use, housing and public spaces  
0101 Social Science Prevention Specialist, Social Science Research Analyst, Work/Life Specialist, Program Specialist Perform administrative and scientific social science work not included in another series 
0110 Economist Economist, Agricultural Economist, Cost Analyst, Financial Economist, Labor Economist Analyze, interpret and report on economic data 
0180 Psychology Psychologist, Clinical Psychologist Assess mental health conditions and provide individual and group treatments 
1420 Archivist Archivist Collect, organize, preserve and publish historical records and documents  

Where You Could Work 

The federal government is big — so where do you start? 

One approach is to focus on a type of role. Another is to focus on a mission area, or the kind of impact you want to have (i.e., in public health, education, transportation or elsewhere).

Keep in mind: mission areas often span multiple agencies, so you may find relevant roles in places you wouldn’t expect! 

Professionals in this field work across many federal agencies depending on mission area, including: 

  • Social Work: Indian Health Service 
  • Psychology: Central Intelligence Agency 
  • Museum Curator: U.S. Army Center of Military History 

Sample positions 

Community Planner (0020)

Employer / agency Department of the Army 
Location(s) Multiple Locations 
Mission context Community Planners in the Department of the Army help develop projects to execute the Army’s objectives. 

In this role, you may: 

  • Identify problems and study objectives, formulate solutions, coordinate economic, environmental and engineering analysis of costs, impacts and benefits 
  • Lead multi-disciplinary teams of 5-15 people in the conduct of studies, make task assignments, monitor progress and report status towards deadlines 

Social Science Research Analyst (0101) 

Employer / agency Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Department of the Treasury 
Location(s) Washington, D.C. 
Mission context This role conducts social science research to support the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Enterprise Planning Performance and Evaluation Division at the Department of the Treasury. 

In this role, you may: 

  • Design studies, including formulating research, evaluation or analysis questions, project objectives, hypotheses, data collection and measurement (qualitative and quantitative) strategies and rigorous approaches for testing hypotheses 
  • Coordinate with and provide support and assistance on design, conduct, interpretation, and use of research/evaluation, performance management and analyses to Fiscal Service, its business areas, Treasury and other federal, state, and local entities 
  • Interpret data and findings to inform the development of agency initiatives, policies and practices

Top 10 agencies for this Field

Top 10 Most Common Jobs in this Field

Positions Currently Open on USAJOBS

Browse current federal job openings on USAJOBS and explore opportunities across agencies and career fields. Use the filters to find positions that match your skills, review requirements, and understand how to apply.

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