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2023 Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree Schools

139 Colleges
$51,842 Avg Salary

Finding the Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree School for You

English Language & Literature is the #19 most popular major in the country with 9,566 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 139 schools in the United States to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States

Check out the English language and literature doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 15% Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for English language and literature students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Stanford University

#2

University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Notre Dame. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.

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Out of the 139 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the # 3 spot on the list. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at The Graduate Center, CUNY

#4

Yale University

New Haven, CT

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Yale University is a great place for English language and literature students working on their doctor’s degree. Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.

Full English Language & Literature at Yale University Report

#5

Duke University

Durham, NC

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Duke University is a great place for English language and literature students working on their doctor’s degree. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Durham.

Full English Language & Literature at Duke University Report

#6

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

With a ranking of #6, University of Chicago did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at University of Chicago

#7

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

With a ranking of #7, Carnegie Mellon University did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

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University of Washington - Seattle Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a very large student population.

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#9

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX

Texas Christian University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Texas Christian University

#10

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Purdue is a very large public school located in the city of West Lafayette.

Full English Language & Literature at Purdue University - Main Campus Report

With a ranking of #11, Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students working on their doctor’s degree. IUP is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Indiana.

Full English Language & Literature at Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Report

#12

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at University of Pennsylvania

#13

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

Emory University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Atlanta.

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#14

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for English language and literature students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full English Language & Literature at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#15

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Full English Language & Literature at Johns Hopkins University Report

#16

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for English language and literature students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.

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#17

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

With a ranking of #17, Northwestern University did quite well on this year’s best schools for English language and literature students working on their doctor’s degree. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

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University of Maryland - College Park ranked #18 on this year’s Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public college with a very large student population.

Full English Language & Literature at University of Maryland - College Park Report

#19

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best English Language & Literature Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Marquette University

#20

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree English language and literature programs. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on English Language & Literature at Michigan State University

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for English Language & Literature students that almost earned our Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
21 Iowa State University Ames, IA
22 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
23 Rice University Houston, TX
24 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
25 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
26 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
27 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL

English Language & Literature by Region

View the Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

English Language & Literature Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General English Literature 4,966
Writing Studies 4,263
English Literature (Other) 175
Literature 162

Related Major Annual Graduates
Visual & Performing Arts 18,379
Theology & Religious Vocations 17,287
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 4,163
Philosophy & Religious Studies 3,136
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 2,680

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Mike Hazard.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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