What Can I Do With A Cultural Studies Degree?
Alumni
Where are they now?
A glimpse at some of the academic and professional achievements of recent graduates from the Cultural Studies program at Columbia College Chicago
Career Services
Columbia College Student Services & Resources
Advising Center:
Career Resources
Online Career Guide
Upcoming Workshops
Four Year Plan: This document is a general resource for Columbia College students, and undoubtedly useful for Cultural Studies majors
The following links (here and here and here) provide some additional on career options available to students graduating with Liberal Arts degrees. While these documents are tailored to students pursuing B.A. degrees in Sociology, Anthropology, and American Studies, they offer useful information for Cultural Studies majors attempting to find a profession compatible with their specific skills and interests.
Career Paths
Government Jobs and Public Service
International
Job vacancies through the United Nations and other international organizationsFederal
The US government's official jobs siteFederal Jobs. Includes links on the following:
Federal Application Process
Federal Salaries and Wages
Internships with the Federal Government
Federal Government Hiring Projections
Federal Application Process (see information on the Presidential Management Fellowship below, under 'Grants and Fellowships')
Partnership for Public Service
Making a Difference. An organization that aims to garner interest in government work
USA Jobs. Includes listings of government jobs and internships available
Peace Corps
The State Department sponsors a few other programs for students and young professionals that would be a good match for Cultural Studies majors. Click on the 'Students' heading in the menu for details.
Bureau of Cultural and Education Affairs also has great programs (mainly exchange) and some funding opportunities.Chicago
City of Chicago CAREERS Online Job Search (though the Department of Human Resources)
Chicago Non-profit job postings
Education
Teaching Certification & M.A.T. Programs
There are a number of colleges and universities in Chicago and throughout the Midwest that offer graduate programs in which one can attain K-9, K-12, Early Childhood and/or Arts Education teaching certification. Columbia College Chicago offers both teaching degrees and certification in Early Childhood Education as well as an M.A.T. program that gives one the option to earn their teaching accreditation in either Elementary Education (K-9), Visual Art Education (K-12) or Elementary Education with Bilingual Approval (K-9). Ava Belisle-Chatterjee is the chairperson for Columbia's Educational Studies Graduate Program.American Sign Language
For those interested in pursuing work as a professional interpreter and/or graduating with a dual degree in a Linguistics, Education, or Social Science based major, Columbia College Chicago offers one of the premier American Sign Language/English Interpretation in the country. Carly Flagg-Campbell is the chairperson for Columbia's ASL-English Interpretation department.Teaching English as a Second Language or Foreign Language
ESL Teacher Resources
English as a Second LanguageresourcesTeaching Overseas
Teaching overseas resourcesTeaching overseas resources
U.S. Department of State Teaching Overseas resourcesOther
Teach for America
Alternative teaching certification resources
University/College Jobs
Higher Education Recruitment Consortium & their Chicago chapter
Jobs in Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges/University administrative and executive positions (filed under 'Chronicle Careers')
General Links
Administrative jobs in higher education
Nonprofit Sector
Idealist.org (links to nonprofit job listings, volunteer opportunities, organizations, internships, events, campaigns, and other nonprofit resources)
Catalogue of Chicago activism
AREA Chicago (Arts/Research/Education/Activism)
Museums
The Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois at Chicago cooperates with anthropologists at the Field Museum of Natural History, to offer advanced degrees in Anthropology
Museum job links
Museum professionals
Cultural Resources and Archaeology
American Association of Museums job headquarters
Chicago museum resources
Green Jobs
Greenjobs.com (includes information for job seekers, a searchable database of green job classifieds, an online forum and a 'Green Directory' of business resources, government resources and green associations
News and resources on "Green Collar' jobs
Greenjobs.net (a green jobs network with a variety of links)
Sustainable building, training and education programs at the Lama Foundation (Summer Programs)
Research Careers
Business
Advertising and marketing are two fields that rely on research supplied by consulting firms. In addition, larger firms have their 'in house' research departments. Cultural Studies majors interested in these fields would be well served to discuss career options, as well as the possibility of pursuing a second major (or a minor) in the school's Art & Design or Marketing Communication programs. Conifer, IDEO, and Doblin are just a few of the companies who do this kind of work in Chicago.
Grants & Fellowships
The Fulbright Program. Awards for teaching and/or academic research outside of the United States
Resources on scholarships
The Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowships (via the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation)
Chicago Mayoral Fellowships. This is for students interested in city government, and it is one of the best (and only) ways to get into the Cultural Affairs Department.
Presidential Management Fellowship. For students looking for federal government work, this is one of the best ways to start. Contact Emily Easton (a Cultural Studies instructor at Columbia and the Senior Program Development Officer at the University of Chicago) if you need assistance with the application.
Graduate School
General Resources
Cultural Studies Resources (via the Association for Cultural Studies)
General tips for researching and applying to graduate schools
Additional tips for applying to grad school (also here and here)
John King and Andrew McMichael, "Inscribing Your Future: The Trials and Tribulations of Applying to Graduate School"
The Princeton Review's page on graduate school applications, advice & timelines
Cultural Studies Graduate Programs (United States)
The following is a non-comprehensive list of graduate programs in Cultural Studies (Ph.D and M.A.). Please add to this list and report and dead links to the webmaster:
University of Arkansas, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies (Ph.D)
Arizona State University, Spanish Cultural Studies (Ph.D)
Bowling Green State University, Popular Culture (M.A.)
UC Berkley, Rhetoric (Literacy and Cultural Studies) (Ph.D)
UC Davis, Cultural Studies (PH.D)
UC Irvine, Culture and Theory (Ph.D)
UC Santa Barbara, East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies (Ph.D)
UC Santa Cruz , History of Consciousness (Ph.D)
Carnegie Mellon University, Literacy and Cultural Studies (M.A. or Ph.D)
Claremont Graduate University, Cultural Studies (M.A. or Ph.D)
Columbia University, French Cultural Studies (M.A.)
Columbia University, Hispanic Cultural Studies and Pedagogy (M.A.)
George Mason University, Cultural Studies (Ph.D)
George Washington University, Human Sciences; an interdisciplinary program in Language, Culture and Society (Ph.D)
University of Hawai'i, International Cultural Studies Graduate Certificate Program
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Chinese Literacy and Cultural Studies (M.A. or Ph.D)
University of Illinois, Chicago, Hispanic Literacy and Cultural Studies (M.A. or Ph.D)
Kansas State University, English and Cultural Studies (M.A.)
Michigan State University, Hispanic Cultural Studies (Ph.D)
University of Minnesota, Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature (Ph.D)
New York University, Media, Culture and Communication (Ph.D)
SUNY Binghamton, Philosophy, Interpretation and Culture (Ph.D)
University of North Carolina, Cultural Studies (Ph.D)
Ohio University, Cultural Studies in Education, (M.A. or Ph.D)
University of Oklahoma, Literacy and Cultural Studies (Ph.D)
University of Pittsburgh, Critical and Cultural Studies (Ph.D)
University of Pittsburgh, Interdisciplinary Program in Cultural Studies (M.A. or Ph.D certificate)
University of Rochester, Visual and Cultural Studies (M.A. or Ph.D)
Stony Brook University, Comparative Literacy and Cultural Studies (M.A. or Ph.D)
University of Southern California, Critical Studies (Ph.D)
University of Texas at Austin, Cultural Studies in Education (M.A. or Ph.D)
Texas A&M, Hispanic Studies w/ Hispanic Cultural Studies concentration (Ph.D)
Villanova University, Hispanic Cultural Studies (Post-M.A. certificate)
University of Washington at Bothell, Cultural Studies (M.A.)
Cultural Studies Graduate Programs (Non-US)
Australia
Macquarie University, Australia, Cultural Studies (Ph.D)
University of Melbourne, Australia, Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Cultural Studies)
CQ University, Australia, Masters of Letters (literary and cultural studies, visual culture)
University of Queensland, Australia, Cultural Studies (Ph.D)Canada
Brock University, Canada,Popular Culture (M.A.)
Carleton University, Canada, Institute for Comparative Studies in Literature, Art, and Culture (Ph.D)
Trent University, Canada, Cultural Studies
University of Victoria, Canada, Interdisciplinary Program in Cultural, Social, and Political Thought (M.A. or Ph.D)
University of Western Ontario, Canada, Theory and Criticism (M.A. or Ph.D)England
Goldsmiths College, University of London, England, Cultural Studies (M.A. or Ph.D)
University of East London, England, Cultural Studies (M.A.)
University of Nottingham, England, Cultural Studies (M.A.)India
Manipal University/Kuvempu University, India, Center for the Study of Culture and Society Center for Study of Culture and Society (Ph.D)
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, Media & Cultural Studies (M.A.)New Zealand
University of Canterbury, New Zealand, Cultural Studies (M.A.)
Scotland
Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland, Center for Visual and Cultural Studies (M.A.)
Other Areas of Graduate Study for CS Majors
The following non-comprehensive lists of academic disciplines in which Cultural Studies majors may choose to pursue an M.A. or Ph.D (follow the links to graduate programs in each field of study):
American Studies (includes links to areas of specialization including African American Studies, Ethnic Studies, Folklore, Native American Studies, Material Culture, and more)
Communication and/or Media Studies The following programs are just a few that have concentrations with a strong Cultural Studies and/or Critical Theory focus:
McGill University (Canada), Communication Studies
University of Minnesota, Critical Media Studies
Simon Fraser (Canada), School of Communication
University of Texas at Austin, Media Studies
The European Graduate School
University of Ulster (Northern Ireland), Media Studies Research Institute: Communication, Cultural and Media Studies
Science and Technology Studies (STS) & History of ScienceUrban Studies (interdisciplinary, i.e. not exclusive to urban planning);
Brown University (Ph.D)
Long Island University (M.A)
Simon Fraser University, Canada (Ph.D)
Temple University (Ph.D)
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Ph.D)
Interesting Research Institutes, Centers, and Clusters
A research list compiles by the Association for Cultural Studies
Critical Studies in Food and Culture at UC Davis
Trans/forming Cultures: A Centre for Social, Cultural and Historical Studies at the University of Technology Sydney (Australia)
Graduate Programs at Columbia College Chicago
A list of relevant graduate programs for CS majors:
Creative Writing - Fiction (M.A)
Creative Writing - Poetry (M.A)
Interdisciplinary Art (M.A)
Book and Paper Arts (M.F.A)
Interdisciplinary Arts and Media (M.F.A)
Journalism (M.A)
Photography (M.A)
More information for Cultural Studies majors interesting in graduate school will be posted online in the coming months. Until then, you should attend the 'Get Gradical' workshops hosted by the Portfolio Center (once a semester).