Literature, Language & Writing
The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences offers a BGS in Literature, Language, & Writing. This program is designed for students who have earned an associate’s degree or equivalent hours and plan to complete a bachelor’s degree. Professional writing courses are included. The degree can be completed in its entirety only at the KU Edwards Campus. A degree from the Edwards Campus is a degree from KU. A minor in English also can be completed at the KU Edwards Campus.
Department of Literature, Language, & Writing website
Sample of Related Skills
- Describe characteristics of literature in English from diverse literary historical periods and cultures
- Apply literary terminology for narrative, poetic, and dramatic genres
- Use literary critical perspectives to generate original analysis of literature in English
- Compose diverse researched and/or original texts in varied genres and formats, using various composing processes, technologies, and/or multimodal formats
- Identify the salient features of literary texts from a broad range of English and American literary periods (Specialized Knowledge)
- Employ knowledge of literary traditions to produce imaginative writing (Communication Fluency/Applied Learning)
Popular Career Paths
Advertising & Public Relations: Concerns communicating the message of certain products, programs, and organizations and generally requires creativity and strong communication skills.
Business Administration & Management: Allows one to utilize strong communication skills to effectively manage employees, develop correspondence, write business memos and proposals, and more.
Teaching: Requires capabilities beyond knowing and loving the subject, such as curriculum development, classroom management, lesson plan development, and classroom modification.
Technical Writing: Includes taking complex material and making it more user-friendly and/or writing documents, manuals, books, etc. for those who are already familiar with the material.
Writing, Editing, & Publishing: Involves careers in newspapers and magazines, book publishing, freelancing, arts and entertainment, and radio and television.
Explore More Career Paths
- 101 Best Websites for Writers: Jobs and Markets - helpful resources for writers
- Alternative Jobs for New Writers - ideas for careers in writing
- Kansas Alternative Teaching License Information - link to the Kansas State Department of Education's alternative teaching track site
- Poe War Writing Career Center - a list with descriptions of numerous jobs related to literature and writing
- The Author's Guild - resources including a Model Book Contract and Writer's Legal Guide
- Writers Guild of America - tools and resources for writers, including information on various fields of writing
- Writing Careers for the 21st Century - information on up-and-coming careers in writing
Jobs to Consider
Fundraiser/Development Coordinator
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Places to Seek Employment
Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations Firms Book Stores Consulting Firms Corporate Companies: HR/Communications Divisions Educational Institutions, Especially in Higher Education |
Insurance Agencies Law Firms Libraries Local, State, and Federal Government Agencies Newspapers & Magazines |
Non-Profit Organizations Publishing Companies Self-Employed/Freelance Writing Think Tanks
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View specific employers by state.
Employment Strategies
- Identify your areas of interest in English, literature, and writing so you can focus your academics and experiences toward these fields.
- Become familiar with the required professional qualifications associated with careers that interest you (i.e., advanced degrees, licensure and/or certifications).
- Gain direct experience within the areas that interest you most through research projects, independent study, internships, part-time jobs, student organization involvement, or volunteering.
- Register for HireJayhawks.com and subscribe to the Internship Newsletter to receive automated weekly emails with specific internship information.
- Consider joining a professional organization related to your area of interest in English, and, if possible, attend local and/or regional conferences to make connections with professionals working in your field.
- Earn a minor or take additional coursework outside your major when relevant to your career goals.
- Maintain a strong GPA if you are considering pursuing graduate or professional school.
- Consider getting involved with a student organization at KU related to your area of interest, such as: Students Tutoring for Literacy, Jayhawk Writers on Campus, Kiosk Magazine, and Bleeding Kansas Horror Club.
Job and Internship Search Resources
- Bookjobs.com - job and internship resources, general information on the world of publishing, an informational video, and more
- Ed(2010) Whisper Jobs - job and internship listings, as well as salary and contact information for various companies in the publishing and journalism industries.
- Kansas Arts Commission - list of jobs and internships in the arts found under the "resources" tab; also helpful resources for poets under the "programs" tab
- Glossary of Writing Careers - 50 jobs related to writing; also includes a job board
- StudentFreelance.com - a list of freelance opportunities for students only
The quick link for this page is career.ku.edu/llw.
Go back to Careers & KU Majors homepage.