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Literature

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 23.1401 - 23.1499.

Types of Degrees Literature Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Literature have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	74
Bachelor’s Degree	499
Master’s Degree	202
Doctor’s Degree	8

What Literature Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Literature emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Literature graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Adobe Acrobat Reader	Document management software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard Collaborate	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Literature graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	50.7%
Master’s degree	27.1%
Less than a high school diploma	9.2%
Bachelor’s degree	5.3%
Some college courses	4.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.1%
Post-master’s certificate	1.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.6%
First professional degree	0.6%
Post-doctoral training	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 72.2% of Literature degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	565	72.2%
Men	218	27.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	475	60.7%
Asian	47	6.0%
Hispanic or Latino	124	15.8%
Black or African American	34	4.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	47	6.0%
Race Unknown	20	2.6%
International Students	30	3.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Literature Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of 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	$24,997
4 years	$42,308
5 years	$49,276

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $49,276 — roughly 97% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Literature Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for 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	3	3
Bachelor’s	2	0
Master’s	1	1

^{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 Literature Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Literature graduates earn a median of $42,308 four years after completion — roughly 11% 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
English Language and Literature, General	34,210
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	12,869
English Language and Literature/Letters, Other	1,064
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.