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Other Rhetoric & Composition

Types of Degrees Other Rhetoric & Composition Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Other Rhetoric & Composition can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	28
Associate’s Degree	32
Bachelor’s Degree	230
Master’s Degree	146
Doctor’s Degree	10

What Other Rhetoric & Composition Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Other Rhetoric & Composition emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Other Rhetoric & Composition program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Other Rhetoric & Composition careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Other Rhetoric & Composition graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.8 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Other Rhetoric & Composition professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Apple Safari	Internet browser software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Rhetoric & Composition graduates include:

• English Language Instructor
• Adjunct English Instructor
• Composition Professor
• Medieval English Literature Professor
• Lecturer
• Assistant Professor
• Etymology Teacher
• English Adjunct Instructor
• English Adjunct
• Contemporary English Literature Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Adjunct Instructor
• English Professor
• Creative Writing Professor
• Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	37.6%
Master’s degree	20.5%
Bachelor’s degree	15.6%
Some college courses	7.8%
Less than a high school diploma	7.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.4%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.7%
Postsecondary certificate	1.0%
First professional degree	0.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.8%
Post-doctoral training	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other Rhetoric & Composition?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 63.2% of Other Rhetoric & Composition degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	282	63.2%
Men	164	36.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Other Rhetoric & Composition graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	217	48.7%
Asian	8	1.8%
Hispanic or Latino	60	13.5%
Black or African American	93	20.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.2%
Two or More Races	23	5.2%
Race Unknown	13	2.9%
International Students	30	6.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Rhetoric & Composition Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Other Rhetoric & Composition 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	$34,712
4 years	$44,745
5 years	$51,958

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $51,958 — roughly 50% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Other Rhetoric & Composition Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Other Rhetoric & Composition. 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
Master’s	2	0
Doctoral (Research)	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 Other Rhetoric & Composition Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Other Rhetoric & Composition graduates earn a median of $44,745 four years after completion — roughly 18% 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
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	23.13
Creative Writing	23.1302
Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing	23.1303
Rhetoric and Composition	23.1304
Writing, General	23.1301
Children’s and Adolescent Literature	23.1405
General Literature	23.1401
Literature, Other	23.1499
English Language and Literature, General	23.0101

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.