Best Online English Degree Programs

Many English majors can relate to the pressure of well-meaning relatives and friends asking them, “What can you do with a bachelor’s degree in English?” Well, this resource will help you answer that question.

You can do a wide variety of things with a bachelor’s degree in English. With so many options, you won’t be limited to just a writing career. A degree in English can help you improve your writing, communication, research, and analytical skills, which are all useful soft skills in the job market.

Read on to learn more about career tracks, salaries, what to expect from an English degree program, and more.

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

An English degree can help prepare you for careers beyond writing and teaching — you’ll develop a keen eye for detail, rhetoric and analytical skills, critical thinking skills, and reading comprehension, which are necessary to succeed in areas such as communication, business, and the nonprofit sector.

Depending on the field you choose, your salary can range widely, from around $35,000 on the lower end to over $150,000 on the higher end. In government, you can make $64,160 as a fundraising coordinator, while in the corporate world you can earn six figures as a human resource manager.

Your career options are versatile — you can be an editor, a marketing consultant, or even a financial aid counselor. Even in traditional writing roles, there are different routes you can take: As a speechwriter, you may write stirring and memorable speeches for politicians, or you can be responsible for disseminating important news to thousands, if not millions, of people as a journalist.

Adding technical skills, subject knowledge, and additional career experience into the mix can also add to your value and help you cross industries with more success.

Note: An asterisk (*) denotes that the figure shows the average salary and not the median.

Typically, it takes four years to complete a traditional bachelor’s degree. An online English degree can be more accessible and take you less time to complete. Online English degree programs allow students more flexibility to take classes outside of regular school hours.

You will likely need to complete between 120 and 180 credits for your degree. The average cost per college credit is $477, with private nonprofit four-year colleges charging the most and community colleges charging the least on average.

An accelerated online program can get you closer to your career goals in less than four years. Accelerated English degrees may have you taking more classes each semester and over the summer. Due to its intense nature, accelerated programs can be overwhelming for students with a full-time job or with family or other obligations.

To complete your English degree — whether you complete it online, accelerated, or on campus — you’ll likely take courses on the same topics. Some of the classes you might take may include creative writing, English grammar, media writing, scientific or technical writing, literature, and special topics in composition.

Many programs allow you to transfer previous credits you may have completed in other programs. Regardless of which type of program you enroll in, you should check with your institution to see if you can get credit for your previous work experience.

There are many valuable skills you can develop with an English major that can be transferred across industries and different jobs. A bachelor’s in English can lend itself to more than just writing-focused jobs.

Here is a list of skills you can develop as an English major that can help you in industries such as business, advertising, journalism, and more.