What Can You Do with an English Major?

The question isn’t “What can you do with an English major,” but “What can’t you do?” English is a very flexible degree! As this graphic suggests, common career paths include education, authorship, entertainment, publishing, editing, law, journalism, marketing and advertising, politics, the law, counseling, and more!

A Reality Check about the English Major

Contrary to many old myths, English majors, like many Humanities majors, are in demand by employers, and salaries and career earnings for English majors are competitive! Below, we’ve provided data and conclusions from some recent studies of the English Major, and curated a list of some of the best recent reporting on the value of the English and the Humanities, to future employers and to society as a whole. The English major equips you with a skill set that is more necessary now than ever: including critical thinking; clear and effective communication; creative problem-solving; empathy and cultural understanding; the capacity to consider unfamiliar perspectives; the ability to assess and evaluation information; the ability to conduct evidence based research, and more! For more information, check out the data from our friends at Humanities Works!

Data and Recent Media Coverage