What Can I Do With A Degree In English?

The Department of English offers three and four year degree programs leading to a Bachelor of Arts.  The three year general program is offered in single or combined concentration, while the four year honours program is available as a single or combined specialization.  Parallel options in Rhetoric and Media Studies are available.  All programs combine courses in British, Canadian, American, and worldwide Literatures.  Please see the department link below for program details and course descriptions.           

Link to the English department's web site

Skills developed:

  • Excellent communication skills (written, spoken, interpersonal, and presentation)
  • Mastery of the English language
  • Strong imagination and creativity
  • Ability to compile, organize, and edit material
  • Knowledge of genres, authors, and historical periods
  • Analytical skills
  • Attentiveness to detail

Areas of employment

English graduates qualify for employment in areas requiring exceptional communication skills, where careers are dependent on excellent writing and editing abilities.   Examples are found in education, business, advertising, and public relations.  In Canada, approximately one quarter of English graduates go on to become Secondary and Elementary School Teachers and Counselors.  Others find work in public relations, as librarians, clerks, and journalists.

http://jobfutures.ca/fos/U402p2.shtml

Sample Careers:

Author Freelance Writer Poet
Book Critic Government Administrator Professor
Columnist Journalist Public Relations Officer
Creative Writer Librarian Publisher
Curator Literary Agent Reporter
Documentary Film Maker Magazine Writer Screenwriter
Editor Manuscript Reader Second Language Instructor
Foreign Correspondent Playwright Teacher/Tutor

Some careers will require a Masters, PhD or further education

Who’s hired Laurentian Grads (sample)

Algoma District School Board Insurance Companies Algoma University College
St Benedict Secondary School Banks St Charles College
Bbs Ontario Incorporated

St Francis Catholic School

Canada Revenue Agency
Sudbury Better Beginnings Better Futures Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Sudbury Public Library
Centre for Indigenous Theatre University Manitoba City of Greater Sudbury
University of Ottawa Collège Boréal Y M Inc
Confederation Secondary School Sudbury-Manitoulin Children's Aid Society  


Work prospects

At Laurentian, graduates of the humanities have an 86% employment rate six months after entry into the workforce.  In Canada the average yearly income for English graduates is $29,900.  However pay varies greatly with location, specialization and level of experience.  Approximately 84% of graduates claim job satisfaction, while 71% would choose to make the same educational choice again.

Competition among new graduates is expected to be average.  Most opportunities will be found as library, correspondence, and related information clerks.

For more information, contact: the Career and Employment Centre by telephone 673-6598 or by email CareerEmploymentCentre@laurentian.ca

 


Webmaster
updated:  August 2010

 
 
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