Just about anything. Stephen King, Sally Ride, Vin Diesel, Joe Paterno, Renee Zellweger, Clarence Thomas, and Sting were all English majors. Michael Eisner, former CEO of Walt Disney and founder of the studio, Vuguru, double majored in English and theater (Denison '64).

English graduates pursue careers in advertising, business, communications, education, media, public service, publishing, sales, and writing. Afterall, we live in an information age of constant communication: electronic, written, spoken, and personal. Success in today’s world depends on a person’s ability to understand and use language. This is precisely what an English major trains students to do. An English major also works well with minors in international studies, modern languages, business administration, finance, management, marketing, communication studies, and journalism. A recent article in Perpsectives, a publication of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington, discusses the ways an English degree prepares graduates for success in many fields, many of them not so obvious ones (http://www.artsci.washington.edu/news/winterspring06/EnglishDegree.htm).

English graduates also pursue graduate study in English, education, political science, government, library science, public administration, psychology, counseling, communications, business, and religious studies.

According to the American Bar Association, English is one of the traditional majors for preparing students for the study of law (http://www.abanet.org/legaled/prelaw/prep.html). Practicing attorneys agree that a traditional liberal arts major is the best preparation for Law School (http://www.collegerecruiter.com/pages/articles/article219.php).

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, students majoring in Humanities, such as English, score above the mean on all three parts of the MCAT exam, and score higher than any other majors on the Verbal Reasoning section of the exam (http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/2008/mcatgpabymaj08.htm).

In fact, more English graduates are attending law school and professional schools than any other majors from USI.

Additional Resources
Career Advice from Monster.com
http://career-advice.monster.com/job-industry-profiles/entry-level-jobs/Are-There-Jobs-for-English-Majors/home.aspx

Guide to College Majors in English
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/arts-humanities/english-major.htm

Ten Most Popular Careers for English Majors
http://www.payscale.com/best-colleges/careers-for-english-majors.asp

Famous English Majors
http://faculty.ircc.edu/DEPT/English/Famous%20English%20Majors.htm

University websites with more information about English majors and careers:

• http://career.studentaffairs.duke.edu/files/majors/information/english.pdf
• http://www.umanitoba.ca/student/counselling/WhatCanIDo/english.html
• http://english.unc.edu/undergrad/careers.html
• http://ascareers.okstate.edu/pdf/English.pdf
• http://career.utk.edu/students/majors/html/english.htm