Career Opportunities & Support
We want to help prepare you professionally for getting a job after graduation. This means not just educating you academically, but also helping you understand how to look for jobs, apply for jobs, and succeed in gaining job offers. For information, advice, and job postings that will help you with your post-graduation professional job search, contact the Office of Career Services.
Undergraduate
English majors are prepared for a wide variety of career options because of skills gained in critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to process, interpret, and provide information to a variety of audiences. In classes you are prepared through writing and critical thinking, as well as working on longer-term research through the capstone project requirement. The flexible skills an English degree provides prepare you to adapt to an ever-changing job market.
Many English majors choose to continue studying English in graduate school. The University offers both M.A. and Ph.D. programs in English. Some students elect to pursue Law school or graduate degrees in other areas (library research, business, humanities, social sciences). Because of effective communication skills, English majors are able to adapt to a variety of learning environments.
Professional Writing Internships
Internships are a great way to get some real-world work experience and give you a chance to see if a career path is right for you. A professional writing internship is required for students in the professional writing concentration. The internship may be in any field, with the primary job duties of writing, editing, and designing documents for specific audiences.
Click here for more information about the professional writing internship!
Potential Careers
This is not a comprehensive list. English majors are found in all industries because of their excellent communication skills.
- Editing and Publishing
- Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations
- News and Journalism
- K-12 Teacher
- Paralegal
- Interpreter/Translator
- Business and Sales
- Project Management
- Non Profit
- Technical and Professional Writing
View "The Highest Paying Jobs for English Majors" (Business Insider) and "If You Want Your Child To Succeed Don't Sell Liberal Arts Short," (Wall Street Journal).
Careers by Concentration
This section is under construction.
Graduate
Our M.A. and Ph.D. in English programs provide ample job training through a variety of assistantship duties, our first year professional development series, and through a job market workshop series. The Graduate School also offers a training through regular Lunch & Learn lecture series, and through their Monday Morning Mentor webinars.
Masters
What Types of Jobs Can an M.A. in English Land? Our recent graduates have received jobs both inside and outside academia including lecturer at a regional university, instructor at secondary-education school, professional/technical writer, marketing manager, and more. With an M.A. in English, all the career options of an English major are open with room to start or grow in management positions. You will also be prepared to continue graduate study at the Ph.D. level.
Careers by Concentration
This section is under construction.
"What Types of Jobs Can I Get With a Master’s in English?" from Grad School Hub
Doctorate
Our recent graduates have received tenure and non-tenure track positions. We are working on compiling up-to-date placement data for our Ph.D. graduates. Here’s the rundown:
Recent Placement
- 2017: Department Head (community college), Assistant Professor (regional university), Instructors and Lecturers (regional and state universities)
- 2016: Assistant Professor, M.F.A. Program Director, Department Chair, Lecturers and Instructors (regional and state universities), Assistant to the Headmaster (secondary school)
- 2015: Associate Professors (state university), Assistant Professors (regional university), Wallace Stegner Fellow, Instructors, High School Instructor
- 2014: Fulbright Fellow, Assistant Professor (regional university), Associate Professors (state college), Director of First-Year Composition (regional university), Instructors
- 1972-2013: Non-profit Directors, Post-Doctoral Fellows, Visiting Assistant Professors, Lecturers, Instructors, Full Professors, Associate and Assistant Professors, Non-Profit Founder, Publisher