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English Literature

Types of Degrees English Literature Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing English Literature can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	20
Bachelor’s Degree	170
Master’s Degree	70
Doctor’s Degree	6

What English Literature Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in English 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 built by a English 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

Innate abilities most relevant to English 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.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, English 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 English Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard Collaborate	Computer based training software	—
Apple Safari	Internet browser software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Graphics creation software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
VLC Media Player	Music or sound editing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for English Literature graduates include:

• Developmental English Instructor
• Lecturer
• Creative Writing Professor
• Teacher
• English Professor
• Composition Instructor
• English Faculty Member
• Faculty Member
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Children’s Literature Professor
• Seventeenth-Century English Literature Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Adjunct Writing Instructor
• English Language Instructor
• Languages Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to English 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 English Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 71.4% of English Literature degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	190	71.4%
Men	76	28.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	139	52.3%
Asian	25	9.4%
Hispanic or Latino	44	16.5%
Black or African American	12	4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	1.1%
Two or More Races	15	5.6%
Race Unknown	8	3.0%
International Students	20	7.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do English Literature Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of English Literature graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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.}

Online English Literature Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for English Literature. 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	1	0

^{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 Literature Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, English 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
American Literature (United States)	23.1402
Children’s and Adolescent Literature	23.1405
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.