Writer for Life: 4 Perfect Degree Programs for English Majors
Guest Post by Anica Oaks
You’ve just graduated with your Bachelor of Arts in English, and you couldn’t feel prouder of your accomplishment. Sure, you recognize that you have challenges in front of you—you’ll have to compete for the few worthwhile writing and editing jobs on the market. But you also know that you can increase your value to potential employers by getting a master’s degree.
No matter what undergraduate degree you pursue, most employers expect you to have a master’s degree before you can start earning a notable salary. English majors are no exception. So, if you’d like to bolster your chances of getting a writing job, have a look at the graduate degrees below. Each can hone your skills, not to mention make you so desirable to employers that they can’t say no.
1. Master’s in English
A graduate degree in English represents the most comprehensive option. Depending on the school you enroll in, you’ll get to choose an emphasis when you enter their English program. You can emphasize rhetoric, editing, or creative writing—or you can emphasize your studies on a literary era.
If you want a more technical job, emphases like rhetoric and editing will serve you better. But if you plan to write for magazines or websites that focus on a particular subject, consider a more artistic emphasis within your program, like creative writing or Medieval or Victorian studies.
2. Master’s in Technical Writing
Perhaps you want to enter the world of technology and work as a copywriter or technical writer. Or perhaps you want to work as the head writer in a marketing team. If you want to learn how to write for businesses, get a graduate degree in technical writing. You’ll become a more concise and direct writer than ever before. You’ll also make more as a technical writer than you will with most writing jobs. If you decide you don’t want to complete a full master’s degree, you can also find technical writing courses with accompanying certificates.
3. Master’s in Creative Writing
A creative writing degree does more than train you to write novels or other artistic works. It also teaches you to write in a variety of styles that most marketing professionals would find useful. You could also work for magazines. Or you can live the dream and become a published author. This graduate degree gives you all kinds of possibilities, especially if you choose a good school.
4. Master’s in History
As mentioned above, an emphasis in a literary era could serve you well if you plan to write on a particular subject during your career. If you want even more in-depth knowledge on that era, get a master’s in history instead, and make sure your program caters to that specific era.
For example, some schools offer focused programs like a master’s in Roman antiquities. You could go on to use that kind of education to write for museums, magazines, journals, and other scholarly institutions.
Other Options
A graduate degree in the sciences, social sciences, and arts could also help you depending on what you want your writing career to entail. But the degrees above give any aspiring writer a solid foundation to base his or her future on. Use the degrees above to focus your skills and get the writing job you want.
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