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English

Types of Degrees English Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing English may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	27
Associate’s Degree	2,706
Bachelor’s Degree	26,315
Master’s Degree	4,222
Doctor’s Degree	940

What English Majors Need to Know

Coursework for English build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that English graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 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 English program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to English careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, English graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by English professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Apple Safari	Internet browser software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for English graduates include:

• Language Arts Teacher
• Teacher
• English Instructor
• English Teacher
• Medieval English Literature Professor
• Victorian Literature Professor
• Creative Writing English Professor
• Reading Professor
• English Language Instructor
• Developmental Reading Instructor
• English Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Composition Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Composition Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	33.2%
Bachelor’s degree	28.9%
Master’s degree	18.3%
Less than a high school diploma	5.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.5%
Post-master’s certificate	2.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Some college courses	1.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.6%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%
Post-doctoral training	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in English?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 73.8% of English degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	25,257	73.8%
Men	8,953	26.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of English graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	20,510	60.0%
Asian	1,644	4.8%
Hispanic or Latino	6,626	19.4%
Black or African American	2,131	6.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	95	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	44	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,602	4.7%
Race Unknown	829	2.4%
International Students	729	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do English Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of English graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$30,969
4 years	$41,218
5 years	$47,515

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,515 — roughly 53% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online English Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for English. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	41	34
Bachelor’s	53	53
Master’s	40	32

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in English Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, English graduates earn a median of $41,218 four years after completion — roughly 8% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

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

Program	CIP Code
English Language and Literature, General	23.01
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other	23.1399
Writing, General	23.1301
American Literature (Canadian)	23.1403
American Literature (United States)	23.1402

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.