UWA English Department

What can you do with a degree in English? First of all, let it be stated that the study of literature can be a valuable end, in and of itself. But beyond simply providing a solid grounding in British and American literary history, the study of literature at UWA offers at least two crucial life skills—first, an appreciation of language, and second, an understanding of narrative. An appreciation of language, and the power of words to shape thoughts as well as express them, serves students well. Likewise, from the study of narrative, and the other forms that literature takes, we can understand how our lives have their own narratives—stories—and how we fashion our lives according to these narratives.

More particularly, an English major serves as excellent preparation for a number of careers in at least four areas.

First, many of our majors, particularly those majoring in English Language Arts, pursue a career in teaching, particularly secondary education.

Second, some of our majors choose further graduate study in English, leading to an academic career. This would involve pursuing a masters degree, followed by a Ph.D.

Aside from teaching, the English major is a superb preparation for a career in law, since the skills in communication, interpreting texts, and critical thinking that one accrues in literary studies are essential in law.

Outside of the most apparent career possibilities, English majors also can find work in library science, advertising, public relations, and other writing fields, especially technical writing.