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General Literature

Types of Degrees General Literature Majors Are Earning

Those studying General Literature may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	54
Bachelor’s Degree	295
Master’s Degree	47

What General Literature Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a General Literature program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Apple QuickTime	Video creation and editing software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Literature graduates include:

• Composition Instructor
• Teacher
• Composition Teacher
• English Instructor
• Composition Professor
• Adjunct Writing Instructor
• Lecturer
• English Adjunct Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Instructor
• English Language Instructor
• Languages Instructor
• Developmental Reading Instructor
• English Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	44.9%
Master’s degree	24.5%
Bachelor’s degree	9.4%
Less than a high school diploma	8.9%
Some college courses	7.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.0%
First professional degree	1.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.0%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%
Post-doctoral training	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 72% of General Literature degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	285	72.0%
Men	111	28.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	272	68.7%
Asian	13	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino	46	11.6%
Black or African American	17	4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	28	7.1%
Race Unknown	8	2.0%
International Students	9	2.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Literature Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General 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.}

Online General Literature Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for General 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	2	3
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	1	1

^{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 General Literature Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General 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
English Literature (British and Commonwealth)	23.1404
Literature, Other	23.1499
Creative Writing	23.1302
Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing	23.1303
Rhetoric and Composition	23.1304
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other	23.1399
Writing, General	23.1301

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.