Campaign shows creative and economic value of English degrees

The #EnglishCreates campaign highlights the importance of English degrees and the career prospects they open up
Books courtesy of Shutterstock

The University of Plymouth is part of a new campaign to highlight the importance of English degrees and the career prospects they open up.
The #EnglishCreates campaign, led by University English in collaboration with the English Association, shows how people can create a difference in the world through an English degree, and futureproof their skills for life, work, and social change.
University English is a non-profit professional body and community founded to promote and protect the study of English in UK Higher Education, and the University of Plymouth is a member.
Today (Friday 22 March), leading academics and high-profile graduates of English nationwide will launch a new campaign at their national conference to highlight the value of studying the subject.

Key points include:

  • English creates crucial skills for employment and social change in Communication, Critical thinking, Collaboration and Creativity. Together, these are described as Storycraft, skills highly valued by business and social leaders.
  • English is a key contributor to the creative industries, the fastest growing part of the UK economy.
  • Arts and Humanities graduates have the same employment rate as science graduates.
  • Average graduate starting salaries are up to £23,000, comparable with Psychology, Law, Business Studies and Chemistry.
The national campaign has been launched in light of misconceptions of it being a ‘low value’ degree, with universities and high-profile English graduates empowered to highlight the opposite.

English degrees provide skills vital to today’s growing markets in the creative and arts sectors, and language-based systems and industries like AI.

It’s not just the knowledge and love of creativity, but the analytical skills you learn that make an English degree so valuable. We’re really proud of our programme here at Plymouth and look forward to welcoming students to our Offer Holder Day tomorrow. 

David SergeantProfessor David Sergeant
Professor of English Literature

The #EnglishCreates campaign is supported by successful English graduates, including comedian David Baddiel, poet and novelist Patience Agbabi, writers Ali Smith and Jeanette Winterson, and children’s author Francesca Simon.
English graduates and supporters are encouraged to share their own stories on social media channels using #EnglishCreates.
The #EnglishCreates campaign will culminate in a week of national events, 3-7 June 2024.
books

I loved my English degree. I loved getting to read books, and then listen to clever people talk about books, and then writing about books, for a degree.

It was the most intellectually stimulating way to spend my time at university, plus it opened me up to understanding the world in ways that have stayed with me for life. Plus it may – who knows – have helped me become a writer. 
Comedian and #EnglishCreates supporter, David Baddiel 

The workings of the human heart, the human mind, the human spirit, are best understood through the arts.

Without the Arts and Humanities we do not know ourselves, only our achievements. Without the Humanities we cannot read the past – how did we get here? Without the Arts, we risk a future where humans look in a mirror without a reflection. 
Writer and #EnglishCreates supporter, Jeanette Winterson 

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BA (Hons) English student Shauna