Being in the driver’s seat of your career – that’s the advantageous position College of Arts & Letters students find themselves when they take the career preparation courses – AL 250: Career Strategies and AL 460: Advanced Career Strategies – offered by the College of Arts & Letters’ Excel Network.

These one-credit, 10-week courses, offered every fall and spring semester to College of Arts & Letters majors, are one way the Excel Network supports students in their path to career readiness. The courses cover a wide range of topics on career exploration and preparation and have a big impact on students as they search for jobs and set themselves apart from other candidates.

“I took AL 250 because I was interested in learning more about careers related to my major and knew very little about job hunting or applying for jobs,” said Rylee Fisher, an English – Secondary Education major. “I really enjoyed the class and learned a lot. It taught me the importance of having/making connections, how to write a quality resume and cover letter, where to job search, and how to conduct a quality interview. I will definitely use what I learned all throughout my career when searching for, applying to, and interviewing for jobs.”

The Excel Network is a leader at Michigan State University in the way it has developed and expanded these career prep courses.

“We have heavily invested our time and resources in this initiative over the past five years and student enrollment has grown rapidly…These courses ground students in a practical setting that helps them envision, and prepare for, a fulfilling and successful career path.”

Dan Meier, Director of the Excel Network

“We have heavily invested our time and resources in this initiative over the past five years and student enrollment has grown rapidly,” said Dan Meier, Director of the Excel Network. “It’s no secret that a degree in the arts and humanities equips students with competencies that employers seek such as critical thinking, communication, and creative problem-solving. That said, career paths in the arts and humanities can take shape in countless ways, which can be both exciting and daunting for students. These courses ground students in a practical setting that helps them envision, and prepare for, a fulfilling and successful career path.”

The College of Arts & Letters first started offering AL 250, in its current iteration, in Spring 2019 and was one of the first at MSU to offer this type of career readiness course. The college then built upon the success of that program by expanding its career prep offerings in 2022 to include the upper-level version, AL 460. Since 2018-2019, enrollments in AL 250 and AL 460 have grown by over 300% and the number of sections offered has expanded sevenfold.

This is a core example of how the College of Art & Letters is creating a full-circle career readiness support system through career education coursework, internships and professional experiences, career advising, and industry-focused events.

AL 250: Career Strategies for Arts & Letters Students

In AL 250, students identify, explore, and prepare for career options. It also helps students find on-campus jobs and first professional experiences. With the course being more entry level, students typically take this during their freshmen or sophomore years.

The first part of AL 250 is focused on career exploration and identifying what students like and have learned about their majors, what careers are available in that field, and how they tell their story based on their experiences and interests.

The course then moves into looking at opportunities and takes students through the basics of job searches where they find a job or internship they are interested in and then learn how to develop a good cover letter and resume tailored toward that job. While some students may already have a resume, this class will teach them how to improve it.

“We know that employers are looking for students to have at least two professional experiences by the time they graduate in order to get hired for entry-level positions. Dedicating time now to take this class and learn how to search for those opportunities means you are really maximizing your time at MSU and are positioning yourself well for life after graduation,” said Maggie Harris, Assistant Director for Internships and Career Education at the Excel Network, who teaches AL 250 classes.

“My biggest takeaway overall is my newfound confidence in the job interview and application process, which I previously had a lot of anxiety about, and in my ability to get any job that I want.”

Rylee Fisher, English – Secondary Education major

AL 250 also gives students experience with interviews and networking. As part of the class, students attend career fairs so they become familiar with meeting potential employers and with the interview process.

“Being able to visualize what the fairs look like and experience having conversations with recruiters, and to be in a supportive environment with me coaching you as you go through it, is really helpful,” Harris said.

The class session on networking helps students to overcome their fears with networking and teaches them how to seek out and make the most of networking opportunities.

“A lot of our students are uncomfortable with networking,” Harris said, “so we have a session talking about where networking occurs and why you shouldn’t be afraid of it, and then we do a group interview with an alum so they can practice doing an informational interview.”

AL 250 culminates with mock interviews, which are held with employers, alums, and staff on campus. This experience offers students the opportunity to receive feedback on telling their stories and how they are connecting these experiences.

“The class taught me how to go about the interview process and let me test my skills in a realistic setting. I have always dreaded interviews, but this eased my fears,” Fisher said. “My biggest takeaway overall is my newfound confidence in the job interview and application process, which I previously had a lot of anxiety about, and in my ability to get any job that I want. This will be super rewarding when I graduate since it will help me to both find and acquire the jobs I desire.”

AL 460: Advanced Career Strategies for Arts & Letters Students

AL 460 is heavily focused on supporting students in their final career preparation efforts.

“While we touch on a lot of the same concepts as AL 250, AL 460 is focused on the needs of an older student – juniors or seniors who are either looking for that higher-level internship, a job, or graduate or professional school,” said Victoria Morris, Career Consultant at the Excel Network, who developed and teaches the AL 460 course.

A group workshop-style class, AL 460 provides students with the time they need to build their professional knowledge and to prepare and work on their plans for life after receiving their undergraduate degrees.

“Students are so busy. They have a million things they are doing whether that’s classes, organizations, jobs. Their professional pathway and documents are always the first to come off the priority list,” Morris said. “This class provides that built-in time to keep their career prep a priority and at no extra cost, under the flat rate tuition. It allows you to add this one-credit course at no extra charge.” 

“This is a terrific class for students looking for guided help to draft polished, professional materials and to feel confident about what their next steps are and where they want to go.”

Victoria Morris, Career Consultant at the Excel Network

AL 460 students learn skills to help them navigate the job market, job search process, and professional environments. They fine-tune their resume, cover letter, and portfolio; build their network; implement search strategies; work on interview strategies; and learn how to navigate a variety of professional situations.

“This is a terrific class for students looking for guided help to draft polished, professional materials and to feel confident about what their next steps are and where they want to go,” Morris said. “They get expert advice, guidance, and help all along the way. Career planning and crafting documents can feel overwhelming to an already busy student, so why not have the structured support as they go through the process with some dedicated workshop time to work on it with an expert.”

The course culminates with students completing their own job search manual, which is everything they need to start applying for the jobs they are interested in or for graduate school.

 “The idea is that they have strong professional documents, a plan for job search, all in one place, including writing samples and references,” Morris said. “Students identify the niche search engines they will use to look for jobs, the people they want to connect with, how to utilize LinkedIn and different platforms. Everything is right there so they can feel confident about their ability to move forward.”

Giving Students an Edge

Both AL 250 and AL 460 not only help students to be prepared and confident, the courses also give students an edge by becoming better connected to all the different resources and opportunities available to them. Students who took AL 250 and AL 460 during the 2024-2025 academic year ranked their self-confidence as 20-25% higher than peers who did not take a course in career-related tasks like making a plan of their goals for the next five years, successfully managing the job interview process, and identifying employers relevant to their career possibilities.

Students also have this long-term support model throughout their time at MSU and beyond.

“By doing the introductory-level class, they meet with us at the beginning of their college careers and continue to see us as a resource during their time at MSU and even after they graduate,” Harris said. “I have alums from my class reaching out to me and checking in about their job search. Developing a strong relationship through class makes it easier for students to reach out.”

Morris also has former students who often reach out to her for help or advice or to simply let her know how much they appreciate what they learned in her class.

Students who took AL 250 and AL 460 during the 2024-2025 academic year ranked their self-confidence as 20-25% higher than peers who did not take a course in career-related tasks.

One way instructors are able to develop this mentor relationship is by keeping class sizes small enough so they can get to know each student.

“They come to us and say they are interested in this,” Morris said, “and we say let’s look at that and see how we can get you there.”

Above all, AL 250 and AL 460 teach students to chart their own path and to be their own advocate.

“We teach them that they are in control of where they want their major and their degree to take them,” Harris said. “If that’s taking advantage of different experiences, we teach them how to find those or how to use campus resources. It’s so pivotal in their growth and development. They get to craft their own narrative in this space and determine what they want and where they want to go.”

For more information on AL 250 and/or AL 460, visit the Excel Network website.

By Kim Popiolek