What Can I Do With a Major in... English

Students who have earned English degrees work for advertising firms, newspapers, book publishers and entertainment firms; teach in primary and secondary schools; practice law and medicine; work in business and industry; and participate in state or federal government as well as non-profit organizations. A student's course of study can be arranged to meet his or her individual needs and objectives.

An English major allows students to develop their writing, analytical, verbal communication, creative and problem-solving skills - assets that are valued in many career fields.  

General Career Information

 
Sample Job Titles

Entry Level

  • Editorial Assistant
  • Management Trainee
  • Mass Media Assistant
  • Public Relations Assistant
  • Writer

Education + Experience

  • Editor
  • Professor
  • Public Information Specialist
  • Research Journalist
  • Teacher
  • Technical Writer

 

 

Show All Job Titles

These job titles are not an exhaustive list, but rather, represent the types of positions most widely recruited for.

  • Advertising Account Executive
  • Advertising Copywriter
  • Business Writer
  • Columnist
  • Copywriter
  • Critic
  • Curator
  • Editorial Assistant
  • Editor
  • Humorist
  • Legal Assistant
  • Librarian
  • Loan Orignator
  • Management Trainee
  • Mass Media Assistant
  • Newscaster
  • Paralegal
  • Playwright
  • Poet
  • Production Manager
  • Professor
  • Promotional Writer
  • Proofreader
  • Public Information Specialist
  • Public Relations Assistant
  • Publisher
  • Radio/Television Announcer
  • Research Journalist
  • Screen Writer
  • Teacher
  • Technical Editor/Writer
  • Textbook Editor/Publisher
  • Training Specialist
  • Underwriter
  • Web Design/Developer
  • Webmaster
  • Writer
 
Employment Areas
  • Academia
  • Government
  • Private Corporations
  • Non-Profit Organizations
  • Publicly Traded Corporation
 
Job and Internship Listings
Professional Organizations

 
Organizations That Have Hired UI Students and Alumni
  •  ACCT-Washington, IA
  • CBS
  • CofferHouse Publishing
  • The University of Iowa Department of English
  • Pearson Educational Measurement
  • The Washinton Center - Talk Radio News Service
  • BUckle Down Publishing
  • The Daily Iowan
  • Walt Whitman Archive Project

This is only a partial list - to view a complete list of organizations that recruit UI students and alumni, please visit: www.careers.uiowa.edu/students/uirecruit.html

 
Additional Resources
Print Printable Version of this resource kit

Pomerantz Career Center Resources

UI Websites

UI Student Organizations

 

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