English

Types of Degrees English Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general english literature graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	3,937
Doctor’s Degree	1,016
Graduate Certificate	123

What English Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to english were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for English Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in english should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for English Majors

A major in english prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for English Majors

As you progress with your english degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a English Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with english:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
English Language and Literature Professors	9.8%	$66,590
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in English?

General English Literature runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #47 out of all the graduate majors we track. In 2021, about 3,951 graduates completed their master’s degree in this field. This major is dominated by women with about 72% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of english majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	119
Black or African American	245
Hispanic or Latino	416
White	2,665
International Students	163
Other Races/Ethnicities	329

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in English, too. About 4.1% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to English

Some degrees associated with english may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to english have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	4.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	28.7%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	8.0%
Master’s Degree	27.6%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.9%
Doctoral Degree	30.0%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.2%

Online English Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	12	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	252	36
Bachelor’s Degree	50	14
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	411	33
Post-Master’s	12	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	142	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Majors Related to English

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to english.

Major	Number of Grads
Writing Studies	13,176
English Literature (Other)	877
Literature	774

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.