CAREERS WITH AN AMERICAN STUDIES DEGREE

 

 

Here is some careers information relating to what American Studies graduates can do after they graduate. The statistics that follow come from the University of Kent's Destination Survey and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) both of which indicate student activity six months after graduation.
At Kent, American Studies can be studied with a focus on one of the three following main subject areas: Art & Film, History or Literature. The destination statistics below are derived from all of these combinations – you may also want to check the pages for subjects related to these areas or our information on careers for Humanities graduates generally:

WHAT DO AMERICAN STUDIES GRADUATES DO?

American Studies graduates find jobs in a variety of sectors including banking or accountancy, the media, advertising, marketing, political administration and law. Popular career choices for American Studies graduates include teaching, journalism, publishing, law, broadcasting and librarianship.

Of 2009 graduates, around 59% went straight into employment, although the high take-up of clerical/secretarial and retail jobs reflected the tough conditions in the jobs market generally. Some 11% went into marketing, 8.7% business and finance and 5.6% into the arts, design, culture and sports fields. Interestingly, despite its international flavour, only 4% ended up working abroad.

"Graduates have an in-depth knowledge of many aspects of American history, literature, culture, politics and society making them attractive to multinational companies who operate in, or have extensive business relationships with, the US," says Margaret Holbrough of Graduate Prospects.

"In addition, career opportunities in administration or management may arise in government (civil service) and non-governmental organisations, international organisations such as the UN or Nato (although it should be said that competition for jobs in these organisations is fierce) or charities working internationally."

(The Guardian, 2011 www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jan/08/american-studies-degree )

You can find a list of all the main jobs open to graduates of any subject at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/careermap.htm amd information on a wide variety of jobs in our "I want to work in ...." pages.

SKILLS DEVELOPED STUDYING AMERICAN STUDIES

 

Employment & Further Study of University of Kent American Studies Graduates

Below is a summary of some of the employment and further study entered by American Studies graduates (all subject combinations) between 2008 and 2011. For all destinations see www.kent.ac.uk/careers/fdrbases/destinations.htm

2011

American St.

The Doctor Who Experience

Head Retail Assistant

American St.

Web Hosting company

Receptionist

American St.

TV Production company

Office Assistant

American St.

Recruitment Agency

Recruitment Assistant

American St.

Ocean Media

Sales Executive

American St.

Arts Projects for Schools

Assistant Production Manager

American St. (History)

Maritime Assets Security & Training

Personnel Assistant

American St. (History)

Sports Club

Sports & Fitness Instructor

American St. (History)

University of Birmingham

MA International Relations (Security)

American St. (Lit.)

Genesis HA

Business Development Officer

American St. (Lit.)

Peppermint PR

Junior Account Executive

American St. (Lit.)

Digital Music Distributor

Content Manager

American St. (Lit.)

University of Bristol

MA Social Anthropology

2010

American St.

Business & Marketing Consultancy

Data Entry Clerk

American St.

Digital Marketing Agency

Account Executive

American St. (History)

Infront Innovation Group

Admin. Assistant

American St. (History)

Lawrence Harvey

Recruitment Consultant

American St. (History)

Personal Telephone Fundraising

Charity Fundraiser

American St. (History)

Information Management company

Sales Associate

American St. (History)

Insurance Company

Account Handler

American St. (History)

River Island Press Office

Publishing Assistant

American St. (History)

University of Exeter

PGCE Secondary History

American St. (Lit.)

Columbia Sussex Corporation

Hotel Intern (USA)

American St. (Lit.)

University of East Anglia

MA American Studies

2009

American St. (Art & Film)

Visual Effects/Computer Animation studio

Library/Despatch Runner

American St. (Art & Film)

FunRaising Events

Events/Office Manager

American St. (History)

St. Nicholas Junior School

Teaching Assistant

American St. (History)

Business Centre Management Company

Centre Assistant

American St. (History)

Insurance & Travel company

Claims Handler

American St. (History)

North London Hospice

Shop Manager

American St. (Literature)

Charity

Admin Assistant/PA

American St. (Literature)

Royal Holloway London

MA English

American St. (Literature)

UCL

MA Publishing

2008

BA American St. (Art & Film)

Metropolitan Council

Customer Services Operative

BA American St. (Art & Film)

Events Management Group

Events Assistant

BA American St. (History)

University of Heidelberg

MA American St.

BA American Studies (History)

Acorn Media

Customer Services

BA American Studies (History)

Cambridge University Press

Administrative Assistant

BA American Studies (History)

Air Ambulance

Customer Service Advisor

BA American Studies (History)

Solicitors

Legal Administrator

BA American Studies (Lit.)

London School of Journalism

BA American Studies (Lit.)

Administrator

 

LONGER-TERM PROSPECTS

These are some of the positions occupied by past Kent American Studies graduates of an older vintage:

  • Sports Development Officer
  • Civil Servant – Highways Agency
  • TV Production
  • Business Information Librarian
  • Fraud Prevention Manager (Banking)
  • Continuity Announcer
  • Public Relations Director
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Chartered Accountant
  • Commissioning Editor
  • Travel Agent

AMERICAN STUDIES LINKS - Useful Websites

 

    Last fully updated 2012