Career Resources

American Studies & Careers

There are a wide variety of careers our majors have fashioned for themselves, and even we are surprised when alumnae/i drop by to tell us what they are doing and how their American Studies major still helps them in their work. Here, in no particular order, are some of the most common professions our graduates enter.

• Graduate School. Several of our graduates have chosen to continue their study by entering Masters and Doctoral programs in American Studies, history, public health and urban planning. 

• Teaching Credential Programs. An interdisciplinary program like American Studies prepares you well for the single and multiple subject credential, and you can use the emphasis to prepare yourself for a single subject credential. Sometimes students headed for credential programs create an emphasis on “American Children” or “Schooling in America,” drawing upper-division coursework from the departments of education, sociology, and psychology. 

• Law. American Studies is a traditional pre-law major in Eastern universities, especially the Ivy League schools, but the field is less well known in the West. American Studies makes an excellent pre-law degree, as you learn the sort of critical thinking and culture analysis that you will need in law school and in legal practice. You can create a “Law and Society” emphasis from courses in sociology, political science, the ethnic studies programs, psychology, and other departments and programs. 

• Business. We know from our conversations with sponsors of our internships that the two skills employers look for in a university graduate are (1) the ability to think critically, and (2) the ability to communicate well the ideas that result from that critical thinking. We believe the American Studies major provides these skills. Beyond these skills, however, you can design your emphasis toward a business specialization. For example, careers in advertising, marketing, and public relations could be served well by an interdisciplinary emphasis on “Mass Communications,” combining coursework from history, rhetoric and communication, sociology, art, psychology, etc. American Studies provides the critical thinking that serves well the demands of writing and journalism, and our emphasis on writing helps hone those skills. 

• Museum Curatorship, Art and Media

UC Davis American Studies Alumni Careers/Roles

What Can I Do With This Major Resources

There are a variety of ways you can shape a meaningful career with an American Studies Major. Some resources to explore these opportunities include:

• UC Davis Internship & Career Center - What Can I Do With This Major American Studies Page
• University of Tennessee Knoxville - What Can I Do With This Major American Studies Page

General Career Resources

• UC Davis Internship & Career Center
• The Internship and Career Center (ICC) at UC Davis offers undergraduate students support to build professional knowledge, skills, and connections to launch their career journeys. They provide career advising and resources
  for exploring a variety of occupations, careers and internships. For more information about the ICC or to schedule a career advising appointment please visit https://icc.ucdavis.edu/research/career‐planning
• O*Net Occupational Information Network
• Provides tools for career exploration and job analysis. Offers free on-line career profilers including “My Next Move,” which will help connect you to possible careers that align with your interests. Allows you to find occupations by category including industry, skills performed, education needed, green careers, and STEM. Advanced Search lets you see careers related to your values, abilities and interests.
•  California Career Zone
• Provides California-specific information on 900 jobs and 24 career families which can be especially helpful in looking at job market trends and training requirements that vary by state. Take the online career assessments to determine your interests, values and skills; assessments generate a list of related careers. A portion of the job descriptions have career videos featuring an overview of the occupation.
• Career One Stop
• Provides national, state and local career, labor market, and workforce information using online tools, videos, and links to job search services. Start here in your search to access a wide range of information. Offers specific resources for Military Veterans. Excellent if you are doing an out-of-state job search.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• From the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the easy to use OOH offers hundreds of readable job descriptions that can be searched for by job title or by job family. Useful search options allow you to narrow by salary, job growth projections, and level of education required. It can be easier to use the OOH when you have a general idea of the job titles or job families that interest you.
• Career Assessments
• Career Assessments may help you clarify what aspects of your unique values, interests, personality and skills are most important to consider when evaluating career options. These assessments do not identify your aptitudes, but rather inventory your preferences. To learn more about the career assessments offered by UC Davis Student Health and Counseling Services, please visit https://shcs.ucdavis.edu/health-topic/career-assessments
• Undergraduate Career Courses

• The Internship and Career Center teaches/co-teaches for-credit, career course offerings geared toward facilitating students' career exploration and planning. Please see below or visit https://icc.ucdavis.edu/research/career-planning/courses for more information.

  AMS 95: Careers and Identity in American Culture

  (2 units- Letter Graded)
  This course will guide students through the career exploration process, using the components of Design Thinking. Participants will explore aspects of their identity using a variety of assessment tools, and use this knowledge to research possible career paths and choices. Students enrolled in this course will develop the tools that they need to intentionally choose their direction and search for opportunities to build the skills they need to be successful. This course is typically offered in Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarter.

  AMS 95: Careers and Identity in American Culture for Athletes

  (2 units - Letter Grade | Course Prerequisites: Must be a current Intercollegiate Athletics athlete)
  This course will guide students through the career exploration process, using the components of Design Thinking.  Participants will explore aspects of their identity using a variety of assessment tools, and use this knowledge to research possible career paths and choices. Students enrolled in this course will develop the tools that they need to intentionally choose their direction and search for opportunities to build the skills they need to be successful. This course is typically offered in Fall, Winter, and Spring Quarter.

American Studies Student and Alumni Perspectives

My Major is American Studies

Brennan Barbaran '18, shares their perspective on the American Studies major. Read over My Major is American Studies to get an idea of where one former UCD American Studies graduate has taken their career.

American Studies Majors Turn Passions Into Professions

Explore how American Studies provides alumni and students with critical and creative perspectives, tools that can be used in many areas, an introduction to wide-ranging topics, and ways to meld academics, career and personal passion.

American Studies Major Directs NFL Health & Safety Policies

Jacob Frank ’11, shares their experience in American Studies and how this contributed to their personal and professional success.