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General English Literature

Instructional content is defined in code 23.0101.

Types of Degrees General English Literature Majors Are Earning

Those studying General English Literature can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	27
Associate’s Degree	2,706
Bachelor’s Degree	26,315
Master’s Degree	4,222
Doctor’s Degree	940

What General English Literature Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in General English Literature emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a General English Literature program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to General English Literature careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General English Literature graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General English Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Acrobat Reader	Document management software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General English Literature graduates include:

• English Instructor
• English Teacher
• Language Arts Teacher
• Teacher
• College Professor
• English Adjunct
• Professor
• Adjunct English Instructor
• Lecturer
• Reading Professor
• Etymology Professor
• Composition Teacher
• Contemporary English Literature Professor
• English Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor

What Can You Do With a General English Literature Degree?

Graduates with a degree in General English Literature commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	1.8%	$77,927	$66,306–$89,549

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General English Literature graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	33.2%
Bachelor’s degree	28.9%
Master’s degree	18.3%
Less than a high school diploma	5.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.5%
Post-master’s certificate	2.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Some college courses	1.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.6%
Postsecondary certificate	0.9%
Post-doctoral training	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General English Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 73.8% of General English Literature degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	25,257	73.8%
Men	8,953	26.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	20,510	60.0%
Asian	1,644	4.8%
Hispanic or Latino	6,626	19.4%
Black or African American	2,131	6.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	95	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	44	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,602	4.7%
Race Unknown	829	2.4%
International Students	729	2.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General English Literature Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General English 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	$30,969
4 years	$41,218
5 years	$47,515

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,515 — roughly 53% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General English Literature Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for General English Literature. 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	41	34
Bachelor’s	53	53
Master’s	40	32

^{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 General English Literature Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General English Literature graduates earn a median of $41,218 four years after completion — roughly 8% 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
English Language Literature	48,926
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	12,869
English Language and Literature/Letters, Other	1,064
Literature	783
Creative Writing	—
ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS	—
English Literature (British and Commonwealth)	—

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.