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Rhetoric & Composition

Types of Degrees Rhetoric & Composition Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Rhetoric & Composition have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	48
Bachelor’s Degree	1,094
Master’s Degree	164
Doctor’s Degree	94

What Rhetoric & Composition Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Rhetoric & Composition 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 built by a Rhetoric & Composition 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 Rhetoric & Composition 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, Rhetoric & Composition 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 Rhetoric & Composition professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training 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 Rhetoric & Composition graduates include:

• Instructor
• Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Faculty Member
• Developmental Reading Instructor
• Reading Instructor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• English Teacher
• Professor
• Creative Writing Teacher
• Creative Writing Professor
• Developmental English Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Rhetoric & Composition 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 Rhetoric & Composition?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.1% of Rhetoric & Composition degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	912	65.1%
Men	488	34.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	889	63.5%
Asian	43	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	170	12.1%
Black or African American	153	10.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	64	4.6%
Race Unknown	30	2.1%
International Students	45	3.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Rhetoric & Composition Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Rhetoric & Composition 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	$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 Rhetoric & Composition Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for 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
Associate’s	1	1
Bachelor’s	2	7
Master’s	1	1
Doctoral (Research)	2	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 Rhetoric & Composition Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, 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/Writing Studies, Other	23.1399
Writing, General	23.1301
Children’s and Adolescent Literature	23.1405
General Literature	23.1401
Literature, Other	23.1499

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.