English, Literature & Writing
What you'll do in college
English majors read widely—novels, poetry, plays, essays—and learn to write about what they read with clarity and depth. Coursework covers literary periods (Shakespeare, Romanticism, modernism), critical theory, and often electives in creative writing, journalism, or rhetoric.
Expect long reading lists and lots of papers. Creative writing tracks include workshops where students share and critique each other's stories or poems. Senior projects can be a long research paper or, in creative tracks, a thesis manuscript.
What you'll do after college
English grads go into journalism, publishing, marketing and advertising, education, law, consulting, tech (especially UX writing and content roles), and graduate study. The major builds writing, reading comprehension, and the ability to make a coherent argument—skills that employers say they value but find hard to find.
Pay varies: starting jobs in publishing or media tend to be modest, while law school grads, tech writers, and consultants make significantly more.
Famous graduates
- Toni Morrison — Nobel laureate and novelist; B.A. in English from Howard University
- Stephen King — Bestselling author; B.A. in English from University of Maine
- Bradley Cooper — Actor and filmmaker; B.A. in English from Georgetown University
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English, Literature & Writing | 1,173 | 28,675 | 26% / 74% | 1% | $50,682 | 93% |
| English | 1,092 | 22,587 | 25% / 75% | 1% | $50,613 | 93% |
| Creative Writing | 220 | 2,158 | 27% / 73% | 2% | $48,997 | 93% |
| Rhetoric and Composition | 44 | 888 | 39% / 61% | 3% | $53,754 | 95% |
| Writing | 75 | 606 | 28% / 72% | 1% | $47,613 | 93% |
| Comparative Literature | 70 | 402 | 26% / 74% | 10% | $57,003 | 88% |
| Literature | 32 | 312 | 24% / 76% | 2% | $49,718 | 91% |
| English Language and Literature/Letters | 5 | 296 | 28% / 72% | 1% | $48,035 | 95% |
| Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing | 13 | 159 | 26% / 74% | 1% | $52,141 | 91% |
| English Language and Literature | 15 | 131 | 40% / 60% | 15% | $52,600 | 92% |
| Professional Writing | 33 | 119 | 24% / 76% | 0% | $49,882 | 93% |
| English and Literature | 1 | 86 | 35% / 65% | 5% | $45,066 | 90% |
| Technical Writing | 14 | 66 | 33% / 67% | 2% | $52,025 | 96% |
| Rhetoric and Writing | 3 | 65 | 29% / 71% | 0% | $57,333 | 97% |
| Modern Languages and Literatures | 2 | 62 | 37% / 63% | 0% | $68,784 | 97% |
| English Literature | 12 | 51 | 10% / 90% | 0% | $49,521 | 96% |
| Literary Studies | 1 | 50 | 20% / 80% | 12% | $51,804 | 94% |
| Literatures in English | 2 | 49 | 27% / 73% | 0% | $44,623 | 94% |
| Professional and Technical Writing | 4 | 47 | 34% / 66% | 0% | $43,126 | 90% |
| Writing and Rhetoric | 3 | 45 | 22% / 78% | 0% | $54,084 | 92% |
| General Literature | 8 | 43 | 30% / 70% | 2% | $58,470 | |
| British Literature | 1 | 40 | 8% / 92% | 5% | $59,539 | 100% |
| English and Textual Studies | 1 | 35 | 20% / 80% | 3% | $58,291 | 95% |
| English Literature (British and Commonwealth) | 3 | 34 | 24% / 76% | 0% | $51,860 | 98% |
| Rhetoric | 2 | 30 | 40% / 60% | 7% | $71,646 | 95% |
| Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures | 2 | 26 | 23% / 77% | 0% | $48,370 | 93% |
| Writing Studies | 2 | 26 | 23% / 77% | 4% | $43,120 | 88% |
| English and Creative Writing | 1 | 25 | 28% / 72% | 0% | $53,967 | 94% |
| Literary Arts | 1 | 22 | 41% / 59% | 0% | $58,687 | 100% |
| Writing Seminars | 1 | 22 | 23% / 77% | 5% | $60,670 | 86% |
| Creative Writing and Literature | 1 | 19 | 26% / 74% | 0% | $36,392 | 88% |
| Languages and Literatures | 6 | 18 | 22% / 78% | 0% | $51,882 | |
| Digital Humanities | 3 | 18 | 33% / 67% | 6% | $53,270 | |
| American Sign Language/English Interpreting | 1 | 18 | 11% / 89% | 0% | $51,216 | 100% |
| Comparative Literary Studies | 1 | 15 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $46,344 | |
| Digital Humanities and Social Sciences | 1 | 15 | 47% / 53% | 7% | $61,456 | |
| Letters | 1 | 14 | 43% / 57% | 7% | $59,570 | |
| American Literature and Culture | 1 | 12 | 17% / 83% | 0% | $32,157 | 96% |
| Literature (CCS) | 1 | 12 | 25% / 75% | 0% | $57,520 | 95% |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | 4 | 10 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $45,276 | 96% |
| Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature | 1 | 7 | 43% / 57% | 0% | $64,016 | |
| Professional/Technical Writing | 5 | 6 | 17% / 83% | 0% | $48,058 | 96% |
| Children's and Adolescent Literature | 1 | 6 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $46,424 | |
| Composition and Rhetoric | 1 | 6 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $42,834 | 85% |
| Professional and Creative Writing | 1 | 5 | 60% / 40% | 0% | $45,660 | 91% |
| Romance Studies | 1 | 5 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $64,870 | 94% |
| Professional Writing and Rhetoric | 1 | 3 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $64,901 | |
| American Literature | 1 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $53,177 | |
| Digital Humanities and Textual Studies | 1 | 1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $61,332 | |
| Writing (Course 21W) | 1 | 1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $72,778 | |
| Literature, Culture and Media | 1 | 0 | $65,049 | |||
| Writing and Composition | 1 | 0 | $60,267 |