Career options with a degree in English Language & Literature

A passion for reading could be a good enough reason on its own for getting a degree in English Language & Literature. However, when choosing what to do after high school, it is crucial to consider your future employment options. What can you do with a degree in English Language & Literature? Some English majors prefer to explore careers that are not usually associated with English studies, whilst others choose to follow a more traditional path. Here is our guide to the skills you can acquire at UNYP’s English Language & Literature program, and the jobs you can get once you graduate. Read on for some insight into the areas where you could use your degree.

Higher education in English Language & Literature provides you with a set of skills which are marketable in most job sectors. 

The success of UNYP’s four-year bachelor program in English Language & Literature derives from its interdisciplinary focus. By taking an opportunity to study in Central Europe with the University of New York in Prague’s international experts in English language and literature, you will immerse yourself in a stimulating, challenging and creative environment. The program offers a wide variety of theoretical and practical formats to explore your unique writer’s voice. Our professors will encourage you to adopt a hands-on approach to your learning, and the American educational style will help you to develop valuable soft skills such as team working, negotiation and communication. As an English major, you will learn how to convey written messages in a clear and coherent way, to understand and appreciate different perspectives, and to think critically. 

Writer

Creativity and discipline is the key to becoming a successful writer, fiction or non-fiction. Your options are endless. You can write novels, short stories, poetry, scripts for stage and screen, or even computer games; and don’t forget about all the web content writing possibilities. Most writers work freelance and diversify their income with other relevant activities, such as editing, proofreading, translating or teaching. 

Journalist

The list of necessary skills may vary, depending on whether you are planning on writing for a magazine or a news portal. But in general, a career in journalism requires determination, and the ability to work in a stressful environment with short deadlines. A good journalist has to know how to talk to people from all walks of life, communicating their stories to the world respectfully and professionally. 

Grant Writer

Another form of storytelling, since a grant writer, must operate with words and concepts to convince funding agents to make awards to their constituents. They often deal with reviewing and editing submissions from scientists and academic faculty as part of the grant development process. Excellent research and reading skills are essential to grant writers, as they review projects from various spheres and must be experts on different subjects. 

Advertising copywriter

Advertising copywriters with a degree in English Language & Literature posses the level of creativity to devise written content which could help to establish the online presence of any organization. The critical reading skills of an English major can help them to adequately analyze the content of their clients’ competitors, and time management skills will allow the juggling of many different projects simultaneously. 

Teaching English as a Second Language

This degree could help you become an ESL teacher for people of different ages and backgrounds, which could be specifically beneficial if English is not your native language. English Language & Literature students develop a solid knowledge of grammar as well as an extensive vocabulary. This profession could let you travel the world!