English can be a preparation for the many professions and vocations that emphasize imagination, sensitivity, analytical skills, and writing abilities. Corporations, for instance, often hire English majors because they are able to communicate effectively in memos, reports, and speeches. In fact, people with the ability to express ideas and opinions forcefully, clearly, and persuasively often reach the higher ranks of their professions. Rider English majors have been hired by such businesses and government organizations as the ICT Group, NFL Films, Bristol Myers-Squibb, International School Services, Anderson Consulting, Hastings Healthcare Group, and the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy in Philadelphia.

  • Publishing
    Some English majors go on to establish careers in the publishing world as editors, publicists, and writers. Rider English majors have achieved employment at major publishing houses as well as at newspapers and magazines. For example, our graduates have worked for HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Taylor & Francis, Springer Nature, Witter Publishing, Saunders Publishing, Packet Publications, Creative Classroom Magazine, Seventeen Magazine, and Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux. Students interested in publishing are at a particular advantage in Lawrenceville because they are within a one-hour train ride of New York City, the publishing center of the world. Rider is also only minutes away from the “Route 1 Corridor,” where there are many opportunities in the publishing departments of corporations, foundations, publicity firms, and advertising agencies.
  • Teaching
    New Jersey requires teachers to have a double major in education and a liberal arts or science subject. Many students find English the ideal match for the education major, since the English program provides superb preparation for both elementary and secondary school classrooms, where reading, critical analysis, and writing skills are essential.
  • Film
    English majors and minors with a cinema studies concentration are ideally suited to work as publicists for film studios and distributors—work that requires strong writing skills. Those students could also become curators for film repertory theaters, museums, and arts councils. Because teachers often use film in their classrooms, a cinema concentration will prepare English-Education majors to use films thoughtfully within their teaching.
  • Library Science
    Library Science often appeals to English majors because it allows them to immerse themselves in the world of books. Today’s librarians must be knowledgeable both in an academic field and, depending on the type of library, such areas as student instruction, reference, cataloguing, and technology. Students who study literature and do literary research often develop an intellectual curiosity and a skill in research that will serve them well as future librarians.
  • Graduate School
    We also prepare our students for graduate and professional school. Recent writing majors have been admitted to graduate programs at Columbia University, Emerson College, Sarah Lawrence College, Temple University, American University, Binghamton University, and Johns Hopkins. Recent literature majors have been admitted to graduate programs at Northwestern University, University of Toronto, University of Illinois, Fordham University, William and Mary University, Drew University, North Carolina State University, City University of New York, Lehigh University, and Ohio University. Rider English majors have been admitted to the law schools of UCLA, Rutgers University, Seton Hall University, Fordham University, and Widener University.