Literature

Types of Degrees Literature Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many literature graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	460
Master’s Degree	116
Associate Degree	33
Basic Certificate	28
Graduate Certificate	26
Doctor’s Degree	20

What Literature Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, literature majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Literature Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Skills for Literature Majors

A major in literature prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Literature Majors

As a literature major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

What Can You Do With a Literature Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with literature:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
English Language and Literature Professors	9.8%	$66,590
Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers	7.6%	$62,170

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Literature?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 460 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in literature in 2021, making it rank #210 in popularity. This major is dominated by women with about 75% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of literature majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	24
Black or African American	20
Hispanic or Latino	72
White	291
International Students	16
Other Races/Ethnicities	37

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Literature, too. About 3.5% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Saudi Arabia
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• India
• South Korea

How Much Do Literature Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in literature made a median starting salary of $23,864 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $21,333 (25th percentile) and $24,135 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to literature.

Salaries According to BLS

Literature majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $69,480 to $78,150 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Literature

Some degrees associated with literature may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to literature have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	10.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	5.0%
Some College Courses	2.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	36.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	1.6%
Master’s Degree	18.7%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.9%
Doctoral Degree	26.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.1%

Online Literature Programs

In 2020-2021, 117 schools offered a literature program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	26	2
Bachelor’s Degree	11	4
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	18	1
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Is a Degree in Literature Worth It?

The median salary for a literature grad is $73,090 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 83% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $663,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Literature

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to literature.

Major	Number of Grads
General English Literature	40,481
Writing Studies	12,529
English Literature (Other)	942

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.