What Can I do With a Degree in Arts and Letters?

What can you do with a major in arts and letters?

The short answer is that you can do a lot. Your arts and letters degree prepares you for many careers in many fields.

That's great, isn't it? Many possible careers... But if many careers are possible, how will you choose among the possibilities?

A major in arts and letters is a powerful academic foundation that provides you with the opportunity to develop skills employers value in employees. These include: oral and written communication, interpersonal, teamwork, technical, analytical, critical thinking, organizational, and problem solving skills.

Remember that your arts and letters major, in and of itself, does not determine your career path. No major does — not business, not psychology, not biology.

It's up to you to determine which career is right for you, but you don't have to do it alone. The Career Center can help you with the process of identifying your preferred skills, interests, and values, and identifying potential careers to explore. We can also help you think about how your coursework relates to the world of work and how to effectively describe your educational background to employers.

Job Titles of Recent Arts and Letters Graduates

Career and Job Search Resources for Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors (Online)

• A Career Guide for Liberal Arts Students — From the Office of Career Services at Miami University.
• Career Resources for Liberal Arts Majors — From Niagra University, New York.
  
• Employer Advice for Liberal Arts Students — From the Career Center and the University of California, Berkeley.
• General Career Strategies for Arts and Sciences Majors — From Career Services from the University of New Mexico.
  
• Liberal Arts Education More Important Than Ever by Joanne V. Creighton, President of Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts.
• Liberal Arts Job Search Guide — From Career Services at Rice University, Houston, Texas.
  
• Road to Career Success For Liberal Arts Majors by Robin Ryan, posted on NACE JobWeb.
• Resource Guide for Liberal Arts Majors — From Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers Liberal Arts Network.
• The Role of Liberal Arts and Your Future — From ISEEK, the Internet System for Education and Employment Knowledge.
• What Can You Do with a Major in Liberal Arts? — From Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
  

A Sampling of Career and Job Search Books for Liberal Arts and Sciences Majors Available in the Career Center

General

• Best Jobs for the 21st Century, Third Edition by Michael Farr
• Great Jobs for Liberal Arts Majors by Blythe Camenson
• Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads: Finding a Path to Your Perfect Career by Sheila J. Curran and Suzanne Greenwald

Business

• Careers in Advertising by S. William Pattis
• Careers in Business by Lila B. Stair
• Opportunities in Banking Careers by Adrian A. Paradis
  
• Real People Working in Sales & Marketing by Blythe Camenson

Nonprofit/Government

• 100 Jobs in Social Change by Harley Jebens
• Careers for Good Samaritans & Other Humanitarian Types by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler
• Opportunities in Fund Raising Careers by Mark Rowh
  
• Opportunities in Gerontology and Aging Services Careers by Ellen Williams
• Real People Working in the Helping Professions by Blythe Camenson

Environment

• 100 Jobs in the Environment by Debra Quintana
• Careers for Nature Lovers & Other Outdoorsy Types by Louise Miller
• The ECO Guide to Careers that Make a Difference: Environmental Work for a Sustainable World by Island Press

Language and Culture

• 100 Jobs in Words by Scott A. Meyer
• Careers for Bookworms & Other Literary Types by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler
• Careers for Culture Lovers & Other Artsy Types by Marjorie Eberts and Margaret Gisler
  
• Careers for Foreign Languge Aficionados & Other Multilingual Types by H. Ned Seelye and J. Laurence Day
• Careers for Writers & Others Who Have a Way with Words by Robert W. Bly
• Real People Working in Communications by Jan Goldberg
• Real People Working in Entertainment by Jan Goldberg
• What Can You do with a Major in English? Real People. Real Jobs. Real Rewards. By Shelly O'Hara and Jennifer A. Horowitz
  

Related Arts and Letters Sites Available From the Career Center

The following pages may have additional information and ideas for careers. What Can I do With a Major/Certificate/Minor in:

• English
• Foreign Languages
• Philosophy
• Communication

Places of Employment

Students with degrees in arts and letters develop skills that are valued by employers. They may find employment in government, nonprofits, social services, educational institutions, and businesses, depending on their skills, experience, and interests. Internships or relevant part-time jobs may be a prerequisite to finding employment in some fields.

The following list of employers and job titles was derived from the Career Center's jobs database where the employer specifically requested arts and letters majors. This list does not reflect all potential places of employment or kinds of jobs for arts and letters majors. This list is meant to show some typical job listings; it does not reflect current openings.

• Abercrombie and Fitch — Manager in Training
• Accredited Home Lenders — Management Trainee
  
• ADP Dealer Services — HR Support Analyst
• A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. — Financial Consultant
  
• Beaverton School District — Web Developer
  
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington — Development Coordinator
• Buckle, The — Management Development Program
• Cadmus Group, Inc., The — Marketing Coordinator — Entry Level
• Calypte Biomedical Corporation — Business Development Analyst
• Capital Financial Planners, LLC — Financial Planning Assistant
  
• Catholic Community Services — Community Support Specialist
• Center for Family Success — Children's Activites Worker
  
• City of Woodburn — Weed & Seed Program Coordinator
• Cmedia-Respond2 Communications — Media Account Coordinator
  
• Comcast Corporation — Marketing Coordinator — Entry Level
• Consolidated Graphics — Leadership Development Program Associate
  
• Con-way Enterprise Services — Lead Instructional Designer/Usability Analyst
  
• Database Marketing Agency, Inc. (DMA) — Data Processing Analyst
  
• ECONorthwest — Research Assistant
  
• Farmers Insurance Group — Financial and Insurance Services Professional
• Fastenal Company — Sales Management Trainee
  
• First Investors Corporation — Financial Services Representative
  
• Fisher Investments — Account Executive
• Friends of the Children — Professional Mentors
  
• Fund for Public Interest Research, The — Canvass Director, Citizen Outreach
  
• E3: Employers for Education Excellence — Administrative Coordinator
• Federal Bureau of Prisons — Correctional Officer
• Gensco, Inc. — Credit Manager
  
• Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. — Field Manager, Citizen Outreach Directors
  
• Hacienda Community Development Corporation (CDC) — After-School Assistant
• Hands to Hearts International — Research & Outreach Coordinator
  
• Harland Financial Solutions — Office Services Coordinator
  
• Hertz Corporation — Manager Trainee
• Human Services Council — Transportation Screener, Interpreter Services Screener
  
• Human Services Research Institute — Administrative Assistant
• Iberdrola Renewables — Trading Anaylst
• InfiniSource, Inc. — High Tech Administrative Assistant
• Inside Track — College Admissions/Enrollment Coach
• Interaction Metrics — Research Lead: Reseach/Scoring and Presentations
  
• i-OP, Inc. — Project Manager
• IronStone Bank — Financial Services Representative
  
• KATU Channnel 2 Portland — News Reporter
• Knowledge Learning Corporation — Grants Coordinator
• Kohl's Department Stores — Store Management Trainee
  
• Korean American League for Civic Action (KALCA) — Executive Director
• Kraft Foods, Inc. — Operations Supervisor
  
• LaCie Limited — Buyer
• League of Oregon Cities — Intergovermental Relations Assistant
• Legal Aid Services of Oregon — Administrator
  
• Linsco/Private Ledger — Staff Assistant
• Massini Group — Database Marketing Specialist
  
• McCullough Research — Research Associate
  
• McKenzie River Trust — Director of Resources
• MENTOR Oregon — Direct Service Employee
• Miller & Zimmerly Real Estate Investment Group — Executive Assistant/Office Coordinator
  
• Mt. Hood Beverage Company — Merchandiser
  
• Multnomah County Sheriff's Office — Deputy Sheriff
• Multnomah County Sustainability Program — Waste Reduction & Recycling Plan Coordinator
• Nature Conservancy of Oregon, The — Administrative Assistant
• Newell Rubbermaid — National Account Specialist
  
• Northwestern Mutual Financial Network — Associate Pension Specialist
• Oregon Afterschool for Kids — Youth Development Network Coordinator
• Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) — Land Application and Licensing Manager
  
• Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) — Program Coordinator, Local Agency Construction Administration Liaison, Construction Contracts Specialist, Research Analyst, Inspector
• Oregon State Police — Oregon State Troopers
  
• OutsideIn — Clinic Assistant Manager, Youth Resource and Activity Specialist
• PACCESS — Project Assistant
  
• Pacific Interpreters, Inc. — In-house scheduler/ Spanish Quality Assurance Specialist
• Pacific Office Automation — Account Sales Representative
• Pacific Recreational Products, Inc. — Operations Specialist
  
• Penhall Company — Senior Estimator
  
• Physicians for Social Responsibility — Executive Director
  
• Pinemeadow Golf, Inc. — Marketing and Sales Representative
  
• Portland Business Alliance — Membership Coordinator
  
• Portland VA Medical Center — Program Support Assistant, Research Assistant
  
• Safeway, Inc. — Assistant Store Manager
  
• SAIF — Claims Adjuster Trainees, Claims Adjuster, Claims Adjuster Supervisor, Bilingual Claims Adjuster
• SingleFeed — Account Manager
• St. Joseph Catholic Church — Coordinator of Youth & Young Adult Ministry
  
• Standard, The — Communications Specialist I
  
• State Farm Insurance — Claim Representative, Underwriter
• State of Oregon — Research Analyst 4, Procurement & Contract Specialist 3
  
• Sterling Foods — Marketing and Logistics Associate
• Synarc — Clinical Operations Specialist
  
• Teach Abroad — Teacher in China
• Tripwire, Inc. — HR Generalist w/Comp Focus, Support Renewal Administrator
  
• TruGreen — LandCare Site Measurer
• Universal Forest Products — Production Manager Trainee, Sales Trainee
• University of Oregon (UO) — Assistant Director for Alumni Relations
  
• US Border Patrol — Border Patrol Agent
  
• US Census Bureau — Vietnamese Interpreter
  
• US Department of Veterans Affairs — Management Analyst
• US Postal Service — Associate Account Manager
  
• Volunteers of America — Child Care Supervisor, Toddler Interventionist
• Waddell & Reed — Financial Advisor
• Walgreens — Retail Management
  
• Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services — Home Ownership Program Assistant
• Wolseley North America — Management Trainee Program
  
• Worksystems, Inc. — Senior Project Manager
  
• XTRA Lease — Operations Assistant
• Yahoo! — Client Advocate
  

College of Liberal Arts & Science - Portland State University