English Department

Students who major in English become critical readers, clear writers, and flexible thinkers. Through studying literature and culture, by writing and speaking, students in English classes develop their voices, expand their thinking, and deepen their imaginations.

English majors are in demand and take an array of paths in their lives and careers. Recent Wagner English graduates have gone on to careers in law, publishing, government, journalism, marketing, and media (to name a few).

Our majors also find that their classroom experiences, which emphasize analysis and working through ideas and arguments, sharpen their ability to work with others and listen to them. Internships are an important part of the major.

Here are a few highlights from online publications:

Huffington Post
Why I Hire English majors by Steve Strauss

“I think what I appreciate most about English majors is that they are taught to think critically, and that is exactly what I want in my business. Busy with a start-up, a new book to finish, speeches, and running my regular business to boot, what I need is to be able to give someone an assignment and have them do it. Period.” –Steve Strauss

American Express Open Forum
Why English Majors are the Hot New Hires by Bruna Martinuzzi

This piece cites communication skills, writing skills, researching skills.

Wall Street Journal
Hunting for Soft Skills, Companies Scoop Up English Majors by Nikki Waller

Employers are newly hot on the trail of hires with liberal arts and humanities degrees.

The New York Times: This Week in Small Business

Here is why the new trend is for businesses to hire English majors: “A major part of what business owners do to gain clients has to do with writing, whether it’s writing an advertisement or a marketing brochure, a good sales letter or an e-mail sales campaign. Businesses also need people who can create powerful content for the company blog, develop a strong social media presence and craft a compelling description of products and services for the company Web site.”


A word after a word after a word is power — Margaret Atwood