Careers in Communications What Can I Do With a Major in Communications? Sample Occupations: The following listings are occupations you can pursue with a Communications Degree. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. There are many careers for which a Communications Degree prepares you. Also note that occupations that require an advanced degree are also listed. For help in identifying more information about the occupations listed below, please visit the Career Development Center, Lenfest 103 and 104 (phone: 717-262-2006 or email career@wilson.edu). Sample Occupations Advertising director Announcer Author Book editor Bookstore manager Broadcast supervisor Camera operator Circulation manager Communications specialist Copy editor Copy writer Correspondent Court reporter Critic Darkroom technician Department editor Disc jockey Dubbing editor Editorial assistant Educational affairs director Electronic publishing specialist Feature writer Fiction author Filmmaker Freelance reporter Fundraiser Grant writer Illustrator Indexer Investigative reporter Journalist Librarian Literary agent Lyricist Magazine editor Media director Media relations representative News anchor Newspaper editor News writer Nonfiction author Novelist Photojournalist Playwright Poet Press secretary Print production manager Publications editor Public information officer Public relations specialist Publisher Professor Reporter Script writer Speechwriter Spokesperson Station manager Stringer Syndicated columnist Teacher Technical writer Traffic manager Wire editor Sample Work Settings Advertising agencies Book stores Cable systems Editing firms Educational institutions Finance industry Freelance Home offices Journals and magazines Libraries Literary journal Marketing firms Medical industry Newspapers Nonprofit associations Printing presses Professional organizations Public relations industry Publishing companies Radio stations Sports organizations Television stations Wire services Writing firms (Adapted by permission from the website of the career center at the University of North Carolina, Asheville.) ____________________________________ HEAR FROM A WILSON STUDENT! In addition to moving on to a wide variety of career options, many of our graduates head to graduate school. Listen to a few of them talk about how Wilson prepared them for graduate study. Meg Oldman graduated from Wilson College with a major in English in 2008. While at the college, she completed Honors in the major. Meg went on to earn her Master’s in English at Marshall University, where she earned a full teaching assistantship. Meg is currently in the Ph.D. program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Wilson's English Department prepared me for my study in English at Marshall University by holding me to the same standards as the graduate program. My upper level English courses at Wilson challenged my critical thinking and analysis skills in ways that I am finding comparable to my current courses. I was encouraged by my advisor to do both an internship and a thesis which prepared me for a "real world" job and Master's level academic writing. Presentations, which were required in most courses, also made me realize that I wanted to teach at the collegiate level and helped me get my Teaching Assistantship, which is paying my full tuition and affording me a generous yearly stipend. The selection of courses available in the program at Wilson appeals to many tastes, but is also specific enough to allow the student to pursue an emphasis in certain genres and periods of literature. These selections allowed me to find my interest in Medieval Literature, which is what my M.A. will be in, but gave me breadth in several different subjects. I am sincerely grateful for the education and preparation the English Department gave me. –Meg Oldman BA ‘08 SATOKO UNNO, ‘08 An international student from Japan, Satoko completed a second degree in English with a concentration in writing in 2008. After graduation, Satoko completed her MA at Millersville University earned an assistantship at the Children's Literature Center at Millersville University. My current graduate study program is Social Work, which seems totally different from my second undergraduate program, English. However, my studies at Wilson certainly prepared me for the Master’s of Social Work program. I am demonstrating great ability as an imaginative writer in analyzing scholarly papers and creating social welfare programs to focus on what these programs will accomplish. Whenever I read a scholarly paper, I imagine what kind of person the author is, what his or her purpose is, and who his or her target readers are. This habit, which was developed while studying at Wilson, helps me understand what the author is trying to say and analyze the author’s ideas. Moreover, when creating social programs, imaginative ability is necessary to meet different client population's needs. A social worker needs to suppose he or she is in each client's place and create the social practice to help the client achieve social justice. A social worker needs to be a scientist and an artist. My studies with the Wilson College English department helped me become a thoughtful scientist and an imaginative artist. –Satoko Unno, BA ‘08 Want to learn more about these and other Department graduates? Visit our “See What Our Graduates Are Up To” page to see what they did after graduation. Strategic Communications Communications Faculty Course Requirements for Strategic Communications Student Media and Clubs Communications Department Awards Communications Careers in Communications See What Our Graduates Are Up To Students on the Communications Major Minor in Communications Assessment Plan for Communications Majors
