Job Placement Assistance for Graduate Students

Job Placement Advising

We offer professionalization activities designed to help you move steadily toward a career at the end of your degree program.

  • Professionalization Workshops. Each year students at all stages in their program can attend workshops on selected topics related to professionalization, such as writing conference proposals, delivering conference presentations, building a dossier, preparing for the academic job market and more.
  • Individualized job placement advising. The year that you enter the academic job market, you will receive individualized advising that includes review of dossier materials, interview practice and career counseling.

Please contact the placement adviser, Timothy Ryan, Ph.D. (tryan@niu.edu) for more information.

Recent Placements

Graduates of our M.A. and Ph.D. programs have secured positions in the following areas:

Higher Education

  • Andrew Burt, Assistant Professor, Gogebic Community College (2022).
  • Yi Li, Assistant Professor, Savannah College of Art and Design (2022)
  • Tab London, Assistant Professor, Buena Vista University (2021)
  • Tiffany Messick, Assistant Professor, Gulf Coast State College (2021)
  • Zachary Killebrew, Assistant Professor, Peru State College (2020)
  • Billy Clem Jr., Associate Professor, Waubonsee Community College (2020)
  • Aaron Geiger, Assistant Director of Composition Program, ECE, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (2020)
  • Fredrik Stark, Instructor, Texas A&M University, Kingsville (2019)
  • Kimberly Volmer, Instructor, Coastline College, California (2018)
  • Kelle Alden, Assistant Professor, Writing Center Coordinator, University of Tennessee-Martin (2017)
  • Adam Burgess, Assistant Professor, College of Southern Nevada, (2017)
  • Rhiannon Catherwood, Assistant Professor, Onondaga Community College (2017)
  • Jeffrey Gard, Assistant Professor, Briar Cliff University (2017)
  • Ashley Heiberger, Assistant Professor, Divine Word College (2017)
  • Stephanie Opfer, Assistant Professor, Tiffin University (2017)
  • Kurt Neumann, Associate Professor, William Rainey Harper College (2017)
  • Tracy Stephens, Assistant Professor, Queens University of Charlotte (2017)
  • Erika Sparby, Assistant Professor, Illinois State University (2017)
  • Amanda Smothers, Teaching and Learning Coordinator, Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, Northern Illinois University (2017)
  • Zoe Wendler, Assistant Professor of Technical and Professional Communication, Ferris State University (2015)
  • Jay Marinan, Assistant Professor of English, Georgia Gwinnett College (2015)
  • Jane Denison-Furness, Assistant Professor of Developmental Literacy, Central Oregon Community College (2014)
  • Alison Lukowski, Assistant Professor, Christian Brothers University (2014)
  • Melina Probst, Assistant Professor, College of DuPage (2014)
  • Elyse Lamszus, Assistant Professor, Olivet Nazarene University (2014)
  • Emily Kingery, Tenure-track Assistant Professor, St. Ambrose University (2013)
  • Suzanne Blum Malley, Associate Professor, Columbia College (2013)
  • Kathleen Turner, Writing Area Coordinator and Assistant Professor of English, Lincoln University of Missouri (2013)
  • Jose Fernandez, Assistant Professor, Western Illinois University (2012)
  • Christopher Blankenship, Assistant Professor, Emporia University (2012)
  • Adam Kotlarzcyk, English Faculty, Illinois Math and Science Academy (2012)
  • Todd West, English Faculty, Kishwaukee Community College (2012)
  • Bonnie Miller, English Faculty, Kishwaukee Community College, Malta, IL (2012)

Teaching English in High Schools

  • Adlai E. Stevenson H.S. District 25
  • Aurora East C.U.S.D. 131
  • Burlington Central C.U.S.D. 301
  • Byron C.U.S.D. 226
  • Community Unit School District 300
  • DeKalb C.U.S.D. 428
  • Downers Grove Community H.S. District 99
  • Elgin C.U.S.D. 46
  • Elmhurst.U.S.D. 205
  • Harvard C.U.S.D. 50
  • Hononegah Community H.S. District 207
  • Illinois Math and Science Academy
  • Orangeville C.U.S.D. 203
  • Rockford S.D. 205
  • Sycamore C.U.S.D. 427
  • Township H.S. District 211

Professional Writing and Editing, Content Management, Grant Writing, and Web Development

  • AbbVie
  • American Medical Association
  • Follett Higher Education
  • Grainger
  • Harper College
  • The Huffington Post
  • Humana
  • JourneyCare
  • Foundation
  • Kohl's Department Stores
  • Morningstar Media
  • Nielsen Media
  • Oral Health America
  • Polysystems
  • Shure Corporation