English and Writing

Students are encouraged to enroll in internships and to develop cognates or minors that expand educational experience in these areas

• Entrepreneurship and small business innovation (B.A. with internship or minor in entrepreneurship)
• Informatics and Computer Information Science (B.A. with minor, internships, additional experience)
• Linguistics and English for Speakers of Other Languages (B.A., world language study helpful, possible graduate study especially for cryptography, computational linguistics, forensic linguistics, and applied linguistics)
• Law-related professions (B.A., J.D.). 
• Non-profit organizations (B.A. with possible additional training or graduate work in business administration, non-profit administration or public policy)
• Government professions in intelligence, research and communications (B.A. with possible additional training or graduate work in law, criminal justice, public policy or other specialized fields). 
• Advertising (B.A. with internships)
• Business management and communications (B.A. with internships and possible additional training or graduate work in business administration, strategic communications, crisis communications or other specialized fields)
• International programs in education, foreign service and Peace Corps (B.A. with possible study abroad experience and world language skills)
• Technology and design thinking teams (B.A. with internships and service learning experience)
• Medical or health Industry leadership and support (B.A. with internships, service learning, minor in Child Advocacy or Health Communication, possible graduate degree in related fields)
• Civic Planning, Urban Development, Social Justice (B.A. with independent study/service learning/internship, with possible graduate degree in related fields)

Most writing careers require the development of a portfolio of related writing samples. Students are encouraged to enroll in internships and contribute to writersInc. literary magazine, the Carolinian student newspaper, and other campus publications to develop these portfolios.

• Commercial writing for magazines, trade journals, newspapers, travelogues, political campaigns, non-profit organizations, technical manuals, business management reports and strategic plans. (B.A. or M.A)
• Creative writing in fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, drama, video games, and screenwriting. See Pursuing a Career in Creative Writing below for more information. (B.A., M.F.A., or Ph.D.)
• Grant writing for non-profit organizations, government organizations, and other groups to secure funding for special projects. (B.A. with internships)
• Technical and science writing for businesses, health professions, computer/technology magazines, and science media outlets. Technical writers and science bridge the communication gap between the public and expert engineers, computer scientists, researchers, and scientists in a variety of fields. They may write instructions, public announcements, brochures, community guidelines, or other examples of informational or feature writing focused on science and technology topics. 
• Producing public relations and business communications. (B.A. with internships)
• Reviewing books, music, arts events. (B.A.)
• Writing for media in television, radio, video games, or the World Wide Web. (B.A. with internships)

Pursuing a Career in Creative Writing

Students who wish to pursue careers in creative writing may begin during college by participating in writing courses, on-campus and off-campus creative publications, and community-based writing groups. After graduation, becoming a creative writer takes determination to keep submitting your work until you find a publisher and inspiration to keep writing original projects. National organizations like the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) and local groups, such as the Hub City Writers Project and the South Carolina Commission Literary Arts Program can connect you with other writers through conferences, publications, readings, writing groups, workshops, and other programs.

Students interested in publishing and editing are encouraged to

• enroll in Understanding English Grammar (ENGL U252) as well as Topics in Professional Writing focused on editing (ENGL U345),
• enroll in graphics design courses, 
• complete an internship with local or national publications,
• serve as a tutor in the Writing Center and
• participate in editing on-campus publications to develop experience.

Some career options for graduates with strong editing skills include the following:

• Copyediting (B.A.)
• Proofreading—often freelance (B.A.)
• Manuscript reading (B.A.)
• Indexing (B.A.)
• Book acquisitions (B.A., M.A. or Ph.D.) 
  
• Book promotions (B.A.)
• Literary journal publications (B.A., M.F.A., or Ph.D.)
• Editing online and/or print publications (B.A. with internships)

Graduates may also pursue master's degrees in Digital Publishing or Literary Editing and Publishing in order to gain more experience and expertise before entering the job market.

Students may pursue careers in teaching English at a range of levels and settings. Students interested in teaching should consider age range, context (e.g. industry, non-profit, higher education, K-12) and areas of specialty, such as a writing focus, literature focus or focus on teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for at home or in other countries. Find out more about preparing for careers in Teaching with an English Degree. 

• English Education (pre-K-12). 
  • Elementary education (grade school) (B.A. with certification)
  • Non-profit literacy and reading programs (B.A. with possible certification, additional training or graduate work in special education or literacy education)
  • Secondary education (middle and high school) (B.A. with certification with possible M.A.)
  • English for Speakers of Other Languages programs (B.A. for work in China, Spain, Latin America, and other locations around the world, B.A. with possible certification, additional training or graduate work in ESOL)
• Higher education (community college and university) (M.A. or Ph.D.)
  • Literary studies (M.A. or Ph.D.—Ph.D. preferred). 
  • Cultural studies/Film Studies (M.A. or Ph.D—Ph.D. preferred). 
  • Rhetoric and composition (M.A. or Ph.D.—Ph.D. preferred for tenure-track jobs). 
  • English education (M.A., M.Ed. or Ph.D.—Ph.D. preferred). 
• Library instruction (M.A., M.L.S., M.S.L.S. or M.S.L.I.S.). 
• Training and development in industry (B.A. with possible certification or additional training or graduate work in business administration, workforce education or other specialized fields).

• Book sales (B.A.)
• Non-profit reading and literacy programs (B.A.)
• Community arts programs and book clubs (B.A.)
• Book stores (B.A.)
• Library occupations, especially in preservations and collections development (B.A., M.A., M.L.S., M.S.L.S. or M.S.L.I.S.).