What can I do with a Degree In Classics or Letters?

Why should I study history, literature, and philosophy? What's the point of learning about stuff that happened two thousand years ago? Why should I bother to learn a foreign language, especially a dead one?

Generally, the answers to these questions focus on the lofty goals of broadening your horizons, learning for learning's sake, appreciating the great achievements of antiquity. Indeed, these goals are well worth achieving, but there are also many practical reasons for pursuing a degree in Classics or Letters.

The questions you should ask are:

• What good is being able to communicate my ideas effectively?
• Why should I learn how to analyze complex information?
• What's the point of learning about the successes and failures of great leaders?

The answer to all of these questions is simple: employers hire people who can communicate effectively, solve problems, learn from their successes and failures, and take leadership roles. A degree in Classics or Letters shows a prospective employer that you have those attributes and have developed them through a rigorous course of study.

For centuries, Classics formed the core of the Liberal Arts curriculum at institutions of higher education. Indeed, the first faculty member to be hired at OU was a classicist. The reasons for this emphasis on antiquity are many, but they all revolve around the fact that the ancient Greeks and Romans led the world for ages in art, architecture, biology, law, literature, mathematics, medicine, philosophy, physics and just about every other discipline imaginable.

It should not be a surprising that our graduates have gone on to careers in law, medicine, education, science, politics, and business.

To put it briefly, a degree in Classics or Letters does not prepare you for a job in a single, narrow field. It prepares you for the rest of your life.

If you are wondering what careers are available to a Classics or Letters major, consider this list, provided by OU's Career Services. It is just a sample of the fields that are open to you:

Career Titles for Classics & Letters Majors

Business Consultant	Administrator
HR Representative	Development Officer
Import/Export Representative	Intelligence Specialist
International Relations Specialist	Lobbyist
Business Manager	Media Specialist
Marketing Research Analyst	Program Coordinator
Public Relations Representative	Public Information Officer
Stockbroker	Public Policy Analyst
Tour Planner/Guide	Business Administrator
Translator/Interpreter	Educator
Biographer	International Business Executive
Copy Writer	Lawyer
Foreign Correspondent	Doctor
Journalist	Theologian
Literary Agent	Public Administrator
Script Writer	Information Architect
Cataloger	Archivist
Curator	Museum Staff Director
Secondary Teacher	Corporate Trainer

Also, check out these links for more ideas:

• The Next Step: a career guidebook from OU's College of Arts and Sciences
• Career services for students in the College of Arts and Sciences
• What can I do with Classics and Letters? (OU Career Services)
• Careers in Classics (from Oxford University)

If you are interested in a degree in Classics or Letters, please visit our programs page to find out more about our majors and minors.