Eastern Illinois University :: English - What Can I Do with an English Major?

Placement Statistics for Recent Alumni

Here's where our alumni go in the first few years after college

Among EIU English graduates from the classes of 2010-2015:

29% are secondary teachers or employed in other roles in the K-12 education system.
16% work in writing, marketing, social media management, or editing.
15% are in graduate school in creative writing, composition and rhetoric, literature and other fields.
12% are business professionals, with titles like manager, mortgage banker, technical recruiter, or analytics specialist.
6% work in higher education, as either faculty or professional staff at colleges or universities.
4% work at nonprofit agencies, such as the United Way and Harvest Hope Food Bank.
The remaining 18% pursue a wide variety of careers, everything from attorneys and librarians to full-time military to professional musicians and comedians.

The English Department supports career planning by helping students explore options as soon as they join the major (in our one-credit orientation course English Forum), bringing career-related speakers to campus regularly, and offering a career development course for seniors. In addition, EIU Career Services offers assistance to all EIU students, and alumni can continue to get support from Career Services throughout their career.