What Can You Do with an English Degree?
The possibilities are as expansive as the written word itself.
Are you passionate about the power of words, captivated by the intricacies of language and enthralled by the magic of storytelling? An English degree opens doors to a world of exciting career opportunities that harness your love for literature, writing, and communication. Whether you dream of becoming a published author, a skilled editor, a persuasive marketer, or a dynamic educator, earning an English degree is a great start. Your creativity, critical thinking, and communication skills will be valuable in industries spanning publishing, journalism, advertising, education, and beyond.
Discover the limitless possibilities that await with an English degree!
Hear from some of our students, and check out a small sample of recent resources that advocate for the value of study in English and the Humanities.
Careers for English Majors
English is not a career path that neatly fits into a single category. It lends itself to a variety of career paths, allowing a student to pursue a variety of careers with a single degree. Common jobs for English majors include:
- Teacher
- Manager
- Lawyer
- Administrative assistant
- Editor
- Writer
Career Resources for English Majors
Considering majoring in English? Want to make a case for your degree? Check out these resources!
- Humanities Majors like English Majors Enjoy their Studies
- To be a Good Doctor, Study the Humanities
- How To Turn Your Liberal Arts Major Into A Powerhouse Corporate Career
- Humanities Majors like English Majors Outperform Their Peers in Several Measures
- A Top Medical School Revamps Requirements To Lure English Majors
- Studying Humanities Teaches You How to Get a Job
- That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket
- Employers Actively Seek Humanities Majors’ Skills–like English Majors!
- Business Leaders Praise the Humanities, English Majors in particular!
- STEM Leaders Praise the Humanities, especially literature!
- What Good is a Liberal Arts degree?
- Humanities Majors, like English Majors, are Employed at Rates Comparable to Other Majors
- Can tech and the humanities exist side by side? Can they afford not to?
- Humanities Majors Earn Salaries Comparable to Other Majors
- Humanities Majors, like English Majors, Do Increasingly Well Over the Course of Their Careers
- The Unexpected Value of the Liberal Arts
- $100K Careers That Can Start with an English Major
- For a long, successful career, LinkedIn says nothing beats a liberal arts major
- The Humanities, such as English, Prepare Students to be Engaged Citizens
- The Humanities, such as the study of Literature, Build Empathy
- The Humanities Help Students Lead Fulfilling Lives
- Why ‘worthless’ humanities degrees may set you up for life
- In the Salary Race, Engineers Sprint but English Majors Endure
- Support From Mentors and Faculty Most Common Among Arts and Humanities Majors
- Four keys to staying employed in the future
- If You Want Your Child to Succeed, Don’t Sell Liberal Arts Short
- Humanities Majors are Leaders in a Range of Fields
Who’s Who with an English Degree
- Michael Eisner, Former Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company
- Rashida Jones, Actress, writer, producer, and philanthropist
- John Legend, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist
- John Lithgow, Tony- and Emmy-award-winning actor
- Judy McGrath, Former Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks
- Janet Robinson, Former President and CEO of The New York Times Company
- Sigourney Weaver, Academy Award-nominated actress
- Ted Turner, Founder of CNN
- Janice Bryant Howroyd, Founder and chief executive of Act 1 Group
- Anne Mulcahy, Former Chairman and CEO of Xerox
- Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube
- Alexa Hirschfeld, Co-Founder of Paperless Post
- Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba
- Kathryn Fuller, Former President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund
- Andrea Jung, CEO of Grameen America and former CEO of Avon
- Mario Cuomo, Former Governor of New York
- Martin Dempsey, Former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Eric Kandel, Winner of Nobel Prize in Medicine
- Harold Varmus, Former Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine (1989, with Michael Bishop)
Last updated: 1/26/2024