What?s Happening in the Department of English from West Virginia State University?

The English Department is a vibrant and active part of the university community. The department sponsors a variety of Events and Activities, such as the English Majors Luncheon held each semester, annual creative writing and essay contests, and the Kanawha Review, a student literary magazine published annually.

In addition to the three different options for concentration, the department offers Certificate in Creative Writing and in Diversity Literature.

The general feeling about majoring in English Literature is that when you are finished you have a limited scope for future employment. However. choosing English Literature as a major DOES NOT mean that your only options are teaching or graduate school. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. English Literature majors are some of the most sought after graduates because you learn the traits companies want in their employees: good writing, critical thinking, and communication skills. In other words, your opportunities with an English Literature degree are endless. Careers for people with Degrees in English include:

• Actors and actresses (Matt Damon, Katharine Hepburn , Alan Alda, Emma Watson),
• Journalists and editors (Thomas Matthews, Bob Woodward),
• Television and radio broadcasters (Diane Sawyer, Andrea Mitchell, Howard Cosell, Conan O?Brian)
• Lawyers and judges (Supreme Court Justices John Paul Stevens and Clarence Thomas)
• Politicians and Government Administrators (Mitt Romney, Pete Wilson, Carol Browner)
• Medical doctors and psychologists (Benjamin Spock, Harold Varmus, B. F. Skinner, Rollo May)
• Corporate executives (Hank Paulson, Anne M. Mulcahy, Steve Wynn)
• Scientists (Sally Ride, Rachel Carson, Edwin Teale)
• University Presidents (John Cavanaugh (Notre Dame), Angelo Bartlett Giamatti (Yale), Hazo Carter (WVSU)).

By no means is this a comprehensive list of professions or of people. Simply put, majoring in English Literature opens up several different kinds of doors.