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Comparative Literature

Types of Degrees Comparative Literature Majors Are Earning

Those studying Comparative Literature have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	610
Master’s Degree	152
Doctor’s Degree	153

What Comparative Literature Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Comparative 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 Comparative 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

Abilities most relevant to Comparative 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, Comparative 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 Comparative Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
VLC Media Player	Music or sound editing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard Collaborate	Computer based training software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning 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 Comparative Literature graduates include:

• Etymology Professor
• Online English Instructor
• Reading Instructor
• Developmental English Instructor
• Creative Writing Professor
• Lecturer
• Adjunct English Instructor
• Humanities Professor
• Literature Instructor
• Reading Professor
• Languages Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• English Faculty Member
• English Adjunct Instructor
• Seventeenth-Century English Literature Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Comparative 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 Comparative Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.6% of Comparative Literature degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	638	69.6%
Men	279	30.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	368	40.1%
Asian	84	9.2%
Hispanic or Latino	168	18.3%
Black or African American	22	2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	58	6.3%
Race Unknown	38	4.1%
International Students	178	19.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Comparative Literature Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Comparative 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	$28,314
4 years	$43,990
5 years	$52,123

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,123 — roughly 84% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Comparative Literature Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Comparative Literature graduates earn a median of $43,990 four years after completion — roughly 16% 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
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services	16.01
Applied Linguistics	16.0105
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General	16.0101
Language Interpretation and Translation	16.0103
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other	16.0199
Linguistics	16.0102

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.