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American Literature

Types of Degrees American Literature Majors Are Earning

People majoring in American Literature can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	21
Master’s Degree	9

What American Literature Majors Need to Know

Studies in American Literature develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that American Literature graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in American Literature emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a American Literature program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to American Literature careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, American Literature graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.5 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.2 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by American Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Graphics creation software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Adobe Acrobat Reader	Document management software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
Blackboard Collaborate	Computer based training software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for American Literature graduates include:

• Online English Instructor
• Instructor
• Etymology Teacher
• Creative Writing Professor
• Lecturer
• Faculty Member
• English Adjunct Instructor
• Literature Instructor
• Developmental English Instructor
• English Lecturer
• Reading Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Professor
• Children’s Literature Professor
• Creative Writing English Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	58.4%
Master’s degree	30.4%
Less than a high school diploma	9.6%
Post-master’s certificate	1.3%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in American Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 66.7% of American Literature degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	20	66.7%
Men	10	33.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	13	43.3%
Asian	1	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino	9	30.0%
Black or African American	2	6.7%
Two or More Races	1	3.3%
Race Unknown	4	13.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do American Literature Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of American Literature 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	$24,997
4 years	$42,308
5 years	$49,276

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $49,276 — roughly 97% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in American Literature Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, American Literature graduates earn a median of $42,308 four years after completion — roughly 11% 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
Literature	23.14
American Literature (Canadian)	23.1403
Children’s and Adolescent Literature	23.1405
English Literature (British and Commonwealth)	23.1404
General Literature	23.1401
Literature, Other	23.1499
Creative Writing	23.1302
English Language and Literature, General	23.0101
English Language and Literature/Letters, Other	23.9999

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.