English majors gain skills that can take them anywhere

At ASU, we have one of the largest English departments in the nation, which enables us to provide students with a greater diversity of offerings than most universities. For example, we offer a bachelor of arts degree in Film and Media Studies, which includes coursework in screenwriting, film styles and genres, media industries, and media and society.

Our goal is to educate citizens who can think, read, write and act in robust and significant ways to meet new challenges, and the critical thinking, reading comprehension and analytic expression skills that are cultivated while earning a degree in English are transferrable into any endeavor. Earning an undergraduate or graduate English degree from ASU will serve you in any art form, any discipline, any profession. Here is just a sampling of career opportunities open to English majors.

Advertising Copywriter
Computer Instructional Designer
Computer Marketing Communications Specialist
Continuity Writer

Corporate Communications Specialist
Correspondent
Editorial Assistant
Newsletter Editor
Film Researcher
Freelance Writer

Policy and Procedures Analyst
Publications Researcher
Radio/Television Copywriter
Radio/Television Researcher

You may find that the humanities major with extensive college experience in dealing with complex material handles the challenge better – more comprehensively, more imaginatively – than the business or finance major.

Michael Bérubé (CNN)

Edwin Erle Sparks Professor and director of the Institute for the Arts and Humanities at Pennsylvania State University

English by the Numbers

In top 10 Departments of English nationally for external research funding

70%

Percent of students that had job placement after participating in an internship.

25k

Serves approximately 25,000 students per year with our majors enjoying a 1:20 faculty/student ratio

Inspiration around every corner

Recognized Faculty

The faculty members in ASU’s Department of English are dynamic and committed to excellent instruction, highly accomplished research, and substantive community and professional service. Our professors and instructors have received prestigious academic and professional awards, including membership in national academies.

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Influential Research Opportunities

Think only scientists get to forge new ways of thinking through research? Think again. ASU’s Department of English has a robust research program. Faculty and students conduct major-centric research projects as well as engage in interdisciplinary research with faculty and students from other colleges.

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Internship Opportunities

Practical work experience is a magnet for future employers, and students who pursue internships are better prepared to enter the job market after graduation. Nearly half of our students get jobs as a result of completing an internship in our department.

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Internships far and wide

"As a literature major, I have been exposed to other cultures, different forms of verse, and different languages — allowing for a better understanding of other people and cultures. Majoring in English has also allowed me to improve my writing skills, essential in the professional world."

Meg Thomas, Undergraduate English major

Clubs & Organizations

In addition to the more than 1,000 clubs and organization’s on ASU’s campus, consider joining an organization affiliated with your major, which allows you to network with like-minded people. It’s also a wonderful resume-builder. Learn more about how you can get involved on campus with international English honor society Sigma Tau Delta or the creative writing group, WORD.

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Undergraduate Advising

Whether you are new to the Department of English — freshman English majors, transfer students, or other majors who are considering a major or minor in English — or you have questions about internships, research or which courses to take, we encourage you to consult with an English advisor.

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