Elizabethtown College English Department

Matt Skillen, Associate Professor of English and English Department Chair, loves to talk about the widespread career opportunities English majors have.  “If a workplace is struggling with a task of collaboration, critical thinking, or communication, the English major in the room will be the expert.”

English majors can excel in many fields, resulting in employment within fields such as editing, marketing, web design, legal services, medical writing, and technical writing.

Due to the need of strong writers in any workplace, English majors often intern in different environments before graduating.  Some travel the short distance to Harrisburg or Lancaster for internships, and others intern in on campus marketing and writing positions.

Additionally, English majors can seek out extracurricular campus activities that contribute to their professional development. These include being a staff writer or photographer of the campus newspaper, poetry club, photography club, or even studying abroad.

“I love how English is an adaptable major that can be perfectly paired with any other concentration of interest,” said Damani Odom, senior professional writing major.  “It’s a good start that provides endless possibilities.”

According to Visiting Assistant Professor Tara Moore, many students in the graduating class of 2019 had secured jobs or graduate school placements before they graduated.

“Some of our recent English graduates are heading to graduate programs with assistantships.  That means their graduate schools pay their salary and wave their tuition fees.  Others began their careers as copy writers in other online writing industries,”  Moore said.

In 2019, three English students won the Wenger Award for high achievement and potential.  Of these three, one went into the field of content production and two went on to graduate school for different fields.

The English Department embraces all inquiry of those interested in following their dreams with the help of strong writing, critical thinking, and communication-based skills.