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Concentration · CIP 23

English Language and Literature/letters

English Language and Literature/Letters is one of the most widely available academic families in higher education — 12 distinct majors offered across 1,504 colleges, producing 34,101 completions annually. The family runs from English Language and Literature, General, the single most commonly declared humanities major in the country, to focused specialties like Creative Writing, Rhetoric and Composition, and Professional/Technical/Business Writing. What these majors share is rigorous training in reading, argumentation, and communication — skills that transfer into teaching, writing, publishing, law, and virtually every sector that runs on language. The family median sits at $54,204, but the top career paths — secondary teaching at $64,580 and writers and authors at $72,270 — reward graduates who pair their degree with either state licensure or a strong professional portfolio.

Majors
12
Colleges
1,504
Annual completions
34,101
Top career
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
Majors in this concentration

Sorted by popularity

English Language and Literature, General

Top career: Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education

1,504 colleges · 26,983 completions/yr

Creative Writing

Top career: Postsecondary teachers, all other

320 colleges · 3,403 completions/yr

Rhetoric and Composition

Top career: Postsecondary teachers, all other

102 colleges · 1,071 completions/yr

English Language and Literature/Letters, Other

Top career: English language and literature teachers, postsecondary

51 colleges · 803 completions/yr

Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing

Top career: Postsecondary teachers, all other

104 colleges · 578 completions/yr

Writing, General

Top career: Postsecondary teachers, all other

96 colleges · 488 completions/yr

General Literature

Top career: Writers and authors

68 colleges · 303 completions/yr

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other

Top career: Writers and authors

7 colleges · 260 completions/yr

English Literature (British and Commonwealth)

Top career: English language and literature teachers, postsecondary

13 colleges · 186 completions/yr

American Literature (United States)

Top career: English language and literature teachers, postsecondary

3 colleges · 20 completions/yr

Literature, Other

Top career: Writers and authors

5 colleges · 4 completions/yr

Children's and Adolescent Literature

Top career: Writers and authors

2 colleges · 2 completions/yr

Ready for a verdict?

We've taken an opinionated look at these fields in depth:

Is english worth it?
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What can I actually do with a degree from this concentration?
The top career outcome for English Language and Literature, General — the major taken by 26,983 students annually — is secondary school teaching, with a median wage of $64,580 and a state licensure requirement in most states. Writers and Authors earn a median of $72,270 but typically require a portfolio and often a graduate credential before reaching that wage. Postsecondary teachers across the family earn a median of $78,490, but that path almost always runs through a terminal degree. The family-wide median of $54,204 reflects the full range of outcomes, including many graduates who enter fields like communications, marketing, and nonprofit management where English is a supporting credential rather than a direct qualifier.
How is English Language and Literature, General different from the specialty majors in this family?
English Language and Literature, General is offered at all 1,504 colleges in the data and accounts for 26,983 of the 34,101 annual completions — it is a broad-based humanities major covering literature, writing, and critical analysis without committing you to a single professional track. The specialty majors are narrower by design: Creative Writing (320 colleges, 3,403 completions) focuses on craft and publication; Rhetoric and Composition (102 colleges, 1,071 completions) trains you in discourse theory and writing pedagogy, which is most useful if you plan to teach composition at the college level; and Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing (104 colleges, 578 completions) is the most employer-facing option, preparing graduates for roles in corporate communications and technical documentation. If you already know the industry you want to work in, the specialty majors send a clearer signal to employers.
Which major in this family is most career-direct?
Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing is the most directly employment-oriented major in the family. With 578 completions at 104 colleges, it is one of the smaller programs, but it targets a specific labor market: technical writers, corporate communications specialists, and government document managers who need demonstrated expertise in structured, functional writing rather than literary analysis. That specificity matters because employers in those fields do differentiate between an English generalist and someone with a writing-for-industry credential. Rhetoric and Composition (102 colleges, 1,071 completions) is similarly focused but oriented primarily toward academic careers in writing instruction rather than private-sector employment.
What does the family median wage of $54,204 actually mean for my career planning?
The $54,204 family median aggregates a wide range of outcomes: it includes secondary teachers earning $64,580, writers and authors at $72,270, postsecondary teachers at $78,490, and also graduates who moved into adjacent fields — marketing, public relations, nonprofit administration — where English skills matter but are not the hiring credential. The median is a reasonable planning floor, not a ceiling. The careers that push above it consistently (teaching, writing, higher education) share one trait: they reward investment beyond the bachelor's degree, whether that is a state teaching license, an MFA, or a PhD. Graduates who enter the workforce directly from a bachelor's often land in the $40,000–$52,000 range in their first roles before experience and specialization push them higher.
Is Creative Writing a practical major?
Creative Writing (320 colleges, 3,403 annual completions) is practical in the sense that it builds real, marketable skills — narrative structure, revision discipline, voice, and audience awareness — that translate into content writing, copywriting, scriptwriting, and editorial work. The career most commonly associated with it, Postsecondary teachers, all other (median wage $78,490), typically requires a terminal MFA or PhD, which means treating the bachelor's as a first step rather than a destination. Writers and Authors, another common outcome, earn $72,270 at the median but income in that role is highly variable and often supplemented by adjacent work. Creative Writing graduates who pair their degree with business or technical writing coursework, internship experience in publishing or media, or a graduate credential in a complementary field tend to see the strongest employment outcomes.