What Can I Do With A Literatures in English Degree?

The Literatures in English major (abbreviated to “English major” below) teaches transferrable skills that are attractive to employers in all sectors, from engineering to law to medicine to business. In fact, Inc Magazine says that the liberal arts major is the "unexpected workplace trend" of the 2020s. And many tech companies, like Google, say English majors are among the most desirable employees. In fact, more and more STEM and tech companies are hiring liberal arts majors over science and engineering majors.

Employers and graduate schools hire and accept Literatures in English majors because they know that English majors know how to:

• Write orally and effectively and persuasively
• Empathetically value other perspectives
• Comprehend the connections in a global world
• Communicate orally effectively and persuasively
• Read texts closely and critically, and synthesize complex ideas
• Evaluate how we know what we know
• Interpret and evaluate culture

An English major is one of the most popular liberal arts degrees in the world; this is a B.A. degree that is immediately recognizable to employers, graduate schools and law schools. These employers and schools will know that by hiring or accepting an English major, they are hiring someone who can interpret and analyze texts, think critically and view problems from multiple perspectives, have empathy for others, and communicate and write clearly.

English majors become:

• Journalists, writers, editors, poets, translators: producing and distributing new writing
• Technical writers, content creators, tech workers: using their writing, analytical, and creative skills in the tech and social media worlds
• Teachers and librarians: sharing their love of literature, theater, or writing (read more here)
• Lawyers: applying their skills of analysis and interpretation
• Doctors, nurses, physical therapists: using a capacity for diagnosis and communication
• Entrepreneurs, marketers, business and public relations people: leveraging their communication and analytical skills to succeed in the business world
• Social workers, politicians, non-profit workers: applying social justice insights to work for a more just society

Many publications write about the value of the English majors to employers, and to the world. See this Washington Post article on why top economists think the world needs storytellers, and how English major wages are far better than is commonly believe. This article in The Atlantic explains how the humanities trains entrepreneurs.

Medical professions also value English majors, because of their ability to connect with patients and hear their stories. In fact, more English majors—by percentage—are accepted into medical school than biology majors! Learn more why good doctors should study English in Pacific Standard Magazine, and why Business Insider notes that a surprising number of doctors were English majors.

UC Merced English graduates have been accepted into some of the nation’s best law schools; to PhD programs in English, Literature and Disability Studies, and Interdisciplinary Humanities; and to Masters programs in public health, communications, writing, journalism, library science, theatre arts, education, and sports management.