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Careers with a Major in English


With their versatile skills grounded in sharp writing and clear-eyed analysis, English majors and minors go into a variety of careers after they graduate. A degree in English offers a broad set of career options, including fulfilling work in fields such as education, management, business operations, media, finance, law, arts, entertainment, sales, sports, and health care, among others. Career services offers current listings of jobs and internships in arts, media, and communications.

Curious about career options? Watch our video.

David Corts

Catching up with COO and English Major David Corts

How Literary Reading and Expository Writing Helped Corts become a Successful Entrepreneur

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Carolyn Thompson

From English to MD: Carolyn Thompson

The English-student-to-physician pathway is less rare than one might think—medicine, after all, is highly creative.

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Jasmine Johnson

English Major to Corporate Lawyer: Jasmine Johnson’s Career Path

Jasmine Johnson was advised by practicing attorneys to become an English major, and it was perfect for her.

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Monica Brashears

Monica Brashears: From English Major to Novelist

Monica Brashears’ debut novel, House of Cotton, comes out this April.

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Camille Renshaw

English Alum Camille Renshaw’s Path from Literature to Real Estate

A background in English has been a key to this CEO’s competitive edge.

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R.A. Dickey

MLB Player and English Major R.A. Dickey Talks about Why English Was His Choice

Dickey says the ability to communicate well leads to success, and it’s a skill he says he got from his time spent as an English major at The University of Tennessee.

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Claire Dodson

English Major to Teen Vogue: Claire Dodson’s Career Path

“English is making you a better writer and making you a better person in the world that thinks critically about things”

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Leigh Ball

English Major to Sleep Medicine: Dr. Leigh Ball’s Career Path

Dr. Leigh Ball uses her English degree to improve patient care.

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Sarah Rainey

English Major to Business: Sarah Rainey’s Career Path

Sarah Rainey uses skills she learned in her English courses to thrive in different business sectors.

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Keith Taylor

With a Little Help from My Friends

Nowadays, $5 won’t get you much—let alone change someone’s life. But Keith Taylor (’98) and his Modest Needs Foundation beg to differ.

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Christopher A. Hall

A Matter of Character Analysis

English classes, Hall believes, “teach you how to think” rather than “what to think.”

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Jason Smith

Law Professor Jason Smith’s Beginnings as a UT English Major

“Attorneys are storytellers”: Smith shares four ways English is an advantageous precursor to law and education

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In the links above, we caught up with a few of our alumni, who tell us about their paths after their studies in English here at Tennessee. Their stories are among those of thousands of English Vol graduates who have gone on to rewarding careers in various avenues of life.