Literature, Language & Writing

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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

Places to Seek Employment

View specific employers by state.

Employment Strategies

1. Identify your areas of interest in English, literature, and writing so you can focus your academics and experiences toward these fields.
2. Become familiar with the required professional qualifications associated with careers that interest you (i.e., advanced degrees, licensure and/or certifications).
3. Gain direct experience within the areas that interest you most through research projects, independent study, internships, part-time jobs, student organization involvement, or volunteering.
4. Register for HireJayhawks.com and subscribe to the Internship Newsletter to receive automated weekly emails with specific internship information.
5. 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.
6. Earn a minor or take additional coursework outside your major when relevant to your career goals.
7. Maintain a strong GPA if you are considering pursuing graduate or professional school.
8. 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