An online English bachelor’s degree career change can support a move into editing, technical writing, public relations, or other communication work. Compare online English programs while building a job-specific portfolio, adding useful subject knowledge, and showing employers how your earlier experience applies to the new role.
Key Takeaways
- Technical writing may fit career changers who can pair clear prose with knowledge from health, finance, manufacturing, technology, or another specialized field.
- Editing, public relations, and general writing paths depend heavily on work samples that prove research, revision, and audience awareness.
- English/Writing, English/Literature, general English, and secondary education programs do not prepare students for the same transition.
Start with the job, not the degree name. Review actual duties, identify the skills your current career already provides, and select courses that fill specific gaps. A bachelor’s degree may satisfy an education requirement. Your portfolio and prior experience must still show what you can do.
How an Online English Bachelor’s Supports a Career Change
English study can support several communication roles, but employers seek different proof for each one. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that technical writers typically need a bachelor’s degree. Their median annual pay was $90,390 in May 2025, with about 3,200 openings projected annually from 2025–35. Those figures describe an occupation, not a promised result for every graduate.
| Career Path | Typical Entry Signal | Median Annual Pay | Projected Annual Openings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technical writer | Bachelor’s degree, often paired with technical knowledge | $90,390 | About 3,200 |
| Editor | Bachelor’s degree in English, communications, or journalism | $77,920 | About 7,900 |
| Writer or author | Bachelor’s degree in English or a related field | $76,910 | About 11,900 |
Technical writing can be a practical bridge for someone who already understands a specialized industry. A former technician, claims worker, health professional, or software support worker may know the terms, users, and common problems. English courses can strengthen research, organization, editing, and plain-language explanation. That combination is often more persuasive than a degree with no relevant samples.
Editors typically need a bachelor’s degree in English, communications, or journalism. Their median annual pay was $77,920 in May 2025, with about 7,900 openings projected annually from 2025–35. Writers and authors had median annual pay of $76,910 and about 11,900 projected openings annually during the same period. The liberal arts career-change guide can help you connect earlier work with these new roles.
Public relations offers another possible move. Public relations specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree and may write press releases, answer media requests, update websites and social media, and communicate with the public. Experience in sales, customer service, nonprofit work, or internal communications may provide useful material for a portfolio.
Build Work Samples Around the Job You Want
A transcript can show that you completed literature, composition, and research courses. It does not prove that you can revise a product guide, prepare a media statement, or edit web copy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies research, clean prose, and proper use of sources and citations as important skills for writers and authors. Turn those skills into visible evidence.
Keep the portfolio narrow enough to suggest a clear destination. A technical writing collection might include instructions, a reference page, and a plain-language explanation of a complex process. An editing portfolio can show an original passage, a revised version, and brief notes explaining major changes. Public relations samples might include a press release, a website update, and a response to a fictional media question.
- Keep polished assignments that resemble work used in the target field.
- Rewrite academic papers for a public or workplace audience.
- Explain the audience, purpose, research, and editing decisions behind each sample.
- Remove private employer, client, patient, or customer information.
Some English departments make this process part of the degree. University of Houston-Downtown requires English BA seniors to complete ENG 4098 during their final semester. Its no-credit portfolio compiles written work from English courses and provides samples expected by some employers. Case Western Reserve University‘s English major capstone portfolio begins with a reflective essay that connects coursework with future academic and professional goals.
Ask how often students receive detailed feedback and whether the program ends with a portfolio, capstone, internship, or publication project. Then inspect the kind of work students produce. A broad list of literature courses can build analysis and close reading, but a career changer may also need advanced composition, digital writing, editing, rhetoric, document design, or subject-area electives. The career ideas for liberal arts majors can help you test possible directions before selecting courses.
Compare Program Titles, Requirements, and Total Cost
Program names provide an early clue about emphasis. An English/Writing degree may include more composition work, while English/Literature may devote more space to literary study and analysis. A secondary education title points toward school-based preparation and may include field experience or state-specific requirements. Read the course list rather than assuming that every English bachelor’s has the same structure.
Requirements can also affect time to completion. National University‘s online BA in English requires 120 semester credits, including 30 credits completed in residence and 51 upper-division credits. Its LIT 100 course requires ENG 102 as a prerequisite. Arizona State University classifies applicants as transfer students after they complete at least 12 transferable post-high-school college credits. Rules like these can change how prior coursework applies.
Compare total cost after accepted transfer credit. GetEducated’s affordable English bachelor’s report lists Eastern Oregon University‘s Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science in English/Writing at $30,590, including mandatory fees. American Public University System’s Bachelor of Arts in English is listed at $34,500 (In-State/Out-of-State) / $30,100 (Military). Southern New Hampshire University’s Bachelor of Arts in English is listed at $38,550 (In-State/Out-of-State) / $27,150 (Military).
- For Technical Writing: Look for research, editing, digital writing, document design, and room for technical electives.
- For Editing: Look for grammar, style, rhetoric, publishing, fact checking, and advanced composition.
- For Public Relations: Look for persuasive writing, digital media, audience analysis, and communication electives.
- For General Writing: Look for repeated drafting, workshops, research, and portfolio development.
GetEducated's Picks
- Grand Canyon University Bachelor of Arts in English for Secondary Education
- King University Bachelor of Arts in English
- Eastern Oregon University Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Science in English/Writing
Do not let a lower listed price settle the decision. Compare remaining credits, mandatory fees, course availability, portfolio support, and the subjects you need for your intended job. The broader online English degree directory provides another way to review available program titles.
Plan the Career Transition Before Your First Course
Collect job postings for the role you want and mark repeated duties, software, subject knowledge, and sample requests. Compare those items with each curriculum. If employers repeatedly request content management, document design, technical knowledge, or media relations, decide how you will learn and demonstrate those skills before enrolling.
Workers with an English degree had a 2023 median annual wage of $60,000, and 1,943,540 were employed. Among top-employing occupations for English degree holders, projected 2024–34 growth ranges from -2% for elementary and secondary school teachers to 17% for postsecondary health specialties teachers.
- Before Applying: Pick a target role and list the evidence employers request.
- During Early Courses: Save assignments that can become workplace samples.
- Before the Final Term: Revise the portfolio and explain how your old field supports the new one.
- Before Enrolling: Confirm transfer credit, remaining requirements, mandatory fees, and course schedules.
Prior work does not need to disappear from your résumé. It may distinguish you from a recent graduate with similar writing skills. Someone who already understands an industry’s customers, rules, products, or work process can write with context. The degree should strengthen that advantage rather than require a complete professional restart.
Find Your Online Art & Liberal Arts Degree
Narrow 71 accredited online Art & Liberal Arts degree programs to find the perfect fit.
Compare every program against the same target job and portfolio plan. If required courses leave little room for useful writing, editing, media, or subject-area work, another English program—or a different major—may fit better. You can also review online liberal arts bachelor's options when the intended role calls for broader study.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an online english Bachelor’s help me change careers?
It can help satisfy bachelor’s-level education requirements and develop writing, research, and editing skills. A focused portfolio and relevant subject knowledge still matter because the diploma does not prove readiness for a specific role.
Which english career may fit someone changing fields?
Technical writing may fit people with specialized work knowledge. Editing suits strong revisers and fact checkers, while public relations may suit people experienced with clients, media, public messages, or community outreach.
Do I need professional writing experience before enrolling?
Many programs do not require prior writing employment. Plan to create workplace samples throughout the degree, however, rather than waiting until graduation to assemble a portfolio.
Is an english degree enough for technical writing?
Not always. Employers may also value knowledge of a product, process, or industry. Previous career experience can supply that background if you add clear and relevant technical samples.
Should I select English/Writing or general english?
Inspect required courses. English/Writing may include more composition and workshop classes, while general English may devote more credits to literature, language, and analysis. Course content matters more than the label alone.
Can an english major lead to public relations work?
Yes, but academic essays are not enough. Build samples tied to press releases, websites, public messages, social media, and media responses. Relevant client or community experience can strengthen the transition.
How important is a portfolio for a career changer?
A portfolio shows how academic skills transfer to workplace tasks. It is especially useful when your résumé does not yet include the job title you are pursuing.
Should I select the least expensive english program?
Compare total cost after transfer credit with course and portfolio fit. A lower-cost program may be a poor value if its required courses do not support the intended transition.
What should I do before applying?
Choose a target occupation, review job postings, list missing skills, and compare those gaps with required courses. Confirm transfer rules, remaining credits, mandatory fees, and portfolio opportunities before committing.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Technical Writers
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Editors
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Writers and Authors
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Public Relations Specialists
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: English Field of Degree
- National University: Bachelor of Arts in English
- Arizona State University: Transfer Admission
- University of Houston-Downtown: English Portfolio
- Case Western Reserve University: English Capstone Portfolio