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textual studies

What textual studies Majors Need to Know

Programs in textual studies emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that textual studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing textual studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a textual studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to textual studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, textual studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by textual studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for textual studies graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Faculty Member
• Instructor
• Teacher
• Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Humanities Professor
• College Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Registrar
• Museum Specialist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to textual studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	41.3%
Doctoral degree	28.8%
Bachelor’s degree	14.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	2.1%
Less than a high school diploma	1.9%
Some college courses	1.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.4%
Post-doctoral training	1.1%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Digital Humanities and Textual Studies	30.52
Digital Humanities and Textual Studies, General	30.5201
Digital Humanities and Textual Studies, Other	30.5299
Digital Humanities	30.5202
Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis	30.1202
Museology/Museum Studies	30.1401
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature	30.3601
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis	30.2601
Economics and Foreign Language/Literature	30.4001

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.