Why English?

A Degree for the Future

Future-proofing is a term that we often think about when we look to buy a new computer, car, or pair of skis. How long will this purchase be of use to me? Will I still be using it in five years time, or will I have had to buy a new version? While one cannot buy an education, a degree represents a substantial investment of time. Therefore, when it comes to choosing a Major, similar considerations should apply: how will this help me develop as a person both before and after graduation? Will I still be using what I learned in twenty years time?  How will this Major prepare me for the future?

An English Major is one of the most future-proof Majors that one can pursue at the university level. The world we live in is increasingly dominated by words and texts, representations and signs.  Textual information flows unheeded through media new and old, saturating modern society in words.  The ability to absorb, comprehend, assess and communicate this flow of information is key to success in the information age. Understanding how words – and the texts they constitute – permeate human interaction is the most fundamental task of students of English Literature or Language, giving them an unique capability to unpick meanings, construct new ones, and to wield the power of language in their own lives and careers. And what could be more future-proof than that?

As an English Major you engage the power of a humanistic education to transform yourself and to make yourself a better thinker. Between 2005 and 2009, two University of Chicago sociologists used a standardized test of critical thinking, information analysis, and communications (the Collegiate Learning Assessment) to test students at the beginning and end of their degree programs. The test found that humanities students—those who had been asked to read and write the most for their classes, and who were evaluated on their writing and their critical reading—had gained the most from their university experience (Arum and Roksa 2010). In the study, this superiority held true regardless of the subject matter that the students were presented with, be it literary texts or business and finance reports: much of the data the CLA asks its subjects to analyze, synthesize, and explain was numeric and business-oriented.

The study of English opens the door to the power of words.

What do our graduates do after graduation?

English graduates go on to a range of careers that are as individual and extraordinary as our graduates themselves.  Communication, analysis and evaluation lie at the heart of society and culture, and the skills exhibited by our graduates provide unique preparation for the dynamic twenty-first century world.  To be able to think critically and to communicate effectively are in-demand skills, and equip the English graduate for a wide range of potential roles within our information age.  Many careers in today’s world demand an ability to process, assimilate and communicate an increasingly large amount of information – a role for which the English graduate is uniquely qualified.  Studies have shown that Liberal Arts graduates, including English Majors, are highly sought after in the corporate world for their ability to think both innovatively and critically

Unlike undergraduate professional programs such as pharmacy or engineering—but like most other academically rigorous undergraduate programs in the humanities and social sciences—a B.A. in English commits graduates to no one single career path. Instead, English graduates find themselves presented with a wide range of possible directions that may suit their varied passions in life.  What we do see, however, is that our graduates flourish in their chosen fields. Whether this is through entry into a professional program such as Law, Education, Business, Medicine, further study in graduate school, or by way of one of a myriad of other career trajectories, our graduates end up in successful and personally fulfilling careers.

Expert advice on degree and career planning, networking and mentoring opportunities for students in English and other humanities and social sciences can be found at the Centre for Arts Student Services (CASS).