Career prospects

A degree in American Studies, European Studies, Global Studies, Latin American Studies or Liberal Arts opens up a wealth of career opportunities for graduates. Our graduates develop the skills to be able to critically analyse a subject, approach projects from a range of perspectives, form a sound argument, easily adapt to new environments (if you’ve studied abroad as part of your degree) and make recommendations based on well-researched evidence.

Some of our graduates have gone on to work as/at:

• Directorate-general for Education and Culture at The European Commission
• Senior Accountant
• Policy Coordinator
• Charitable organisations

Our School’s dedicated Employability Officers are always on hand to help guide you, offer advice and help you access the opportunities available on campus – whether it be the employability centre, volunteering opportunities, or possible internships with partner institutions.

You can also choose to include a Placement Year within your degree. We’ll help you to find a relevant opportunity and ensure that you make the most of a great chance to improve your career prospects.

You also have the chance to attend a networking event with Essex alumni in your second year module “Beyond the BA: Skills for the Next Step”, giving you the opportunity to harbour connections and find out about how our alumni got to where they are today. This module offers you the opportunity to build up a portfolio of experiences, skills, and knowledge that will help prepare you for the graduate job you’re looking for. You learn about future career possibilities, gain an insight into what graduate employers are looking for, and access a range of opportunities for valuable work experience on and off campus.

You also have the option to take the module “Social Entrepreneurs, Sustainability and Community Action”, which involves learning how to design, fund, and set up a small-scale project or community interest company and creating a feasible project proposal or an organisational business plan for a small not-for-profit company. The knowledge, skills and experience you acquire in this module will also be valuable in other employment settings, such as large firms, the public sector (especially health and education), and larger NGOs and charities.

In your final year you have the opportunity to partner with a local organisation on a real-world project in the optional module "Community Engagement: Group Projects". You will work collaboratively with other students on your course to produce the project which could be on anything from carrying out a piece of research, designing a campaign, organising an exhibition or implementing a community initiative. Partners might include a local charity, social enterprise, community or public or private sector organisations, or the University’s sustainability section.

Students who are interested in environmental sustainability can also take part in our two week Sustainable Practice Summer School and gain a Certificate in Sustainable Practice, which will appear on their Higher Education Achievement Record (HEAR). The course is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students free of charge.

Our Employability and Careers Centre is on hand to help you find placements and internships – and offers a lot more besides. It provides an on-campus job shop, one-to-one careers advice, hosts workshops on employability skills, and offers support if you want to start your own business.  You can also sign up for the Big Essex Award, which provides a whole range of marketing, fundraising, networking, project management skills. The award identifies the skills you’ve developed over the course of your studies and records your achievements on your degree transcript.

The Employability and Careers Centre also runs Careers’ Fairs throughout the year and there are further opportunities to develop your skills with a number of Student’s Union societies, such as broadcasting with Rebel Media, Theatre Arts, Film, Writing and Public Speaking.

At Essex we run a unique internal internship scheme. Frontrunners offers our students the opportunity to work within a University department or team. As well as giving you the chance to earn alongside your studies, a Frontrunner internship will develop your professional skills and prepare you for the world of work. 

The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme is ideal for students who want to explore life in academia. It offers applicants the chance to assist our academics on a current research project. Once again, as well as developing your research skills these research placements are fully paid.