undergradly.
Major · English Language & Literature

Language, literature, and the craft of communicating clearly

English Language and Literature, General covers the history and structure of the English language, close reading and analysis of literary texts, and the communication skills that underpin writing, editing, and teaching. About 27,000 degrees are awarded annually across more than 1,500 colleges — one of the most widely offered majors in higher education.

Schools offering
1,504
Annual completions
26,661
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$49k

About this major

English Language and Literature, General is a humanities major built around close engagement with written language — its history, structure, and expressive range. The CIP definition frames it as covering the English language's development and form, the literature of English-speaking peoples, and the communication skills that connect them. In practice, coursework moves through literary periods (from early modern texts to contemporary fiction), linguistic analysis, critical theory, and sustained argumentative writing. Students spend time learning to read carefully and argue precisely — skills that are harder to develop than they initially appear.

The major attracts students who read broadly for pleasure, who find themselves frustrated by imprecise language, and who are drawn to understanding how texts are constructed and why they have the effects they do. Facility with writing is typically assumed on entry and developed through the program, not introduced from scratch. A background in secondary school AP Literature or a strong writing practice tends to be the reliable predictor of a comfortable start.

Career destinations in the direct data cluster around teaching and editing. Secondary school teaching is the most common mapped path, with a median wage of $64,580, though projected job growth for the occupation is slightly negative. Postsecondary English teaching pays more at $78,270 median but requires doctoral-level credentials. The broader employment reality for English graduates extends well beyond those categories: publishing, communications, technical writing, and content strategy are common landing spots. With about 27,000 degrees awarded annually across more than 1,500 colleges, this is one of the most widely offered majors in the country — which means institutional variety is high, from small liberal arts colleges to large state universities.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education $65k -1.6% Bachelor's degree
English language and literature teachers, postsecondary $78k 0.0% Doctoral or professional degree
Proofreaders and copy markers $49k -0.6% Bachelor's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$49k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$35k

Bachelor's

$49k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you are drawn to the act of reading as interpretation rather than consumption — if you find yourself asking why a text works the way it does, not just what happens in it. You may also fit well here if you want to develop writing as a rigorous craft rather than a functional skill, if the secondary school teacher path appeals as a stable and meaningful career at a $64,580 median wage, or if you are planning on graduate study in literature, law, or communications and want a broad analytical foundation before specializing.

Think twice if your primary draw is creative writing for its own sake — Writing, General is more workshop-intensive and purpose-built for that aim. Think twice too if you are expecting a major that maps predictably to a specific, high-earning occupation: the directly tracked careers here show flat or negative growth projections, and the five-year median earnings for bachelor's completers sit around $49,430, well below the national bachelor's average. And if K-12 teaching is the specific goal, English/Language Arts Teacher Education bundles the content and pedagogy into a single degree that can move you toward licensure more efficiently.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for English Language and Literature, General

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 0 335 335
Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ 0 299 299
University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 0 269 269
Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 0 265 265
California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA 0 234 234
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 234 234
Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH 0 205 205
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 0 157 157
California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA 0 156 156
Florida International University Miami, FL 0 156 156
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Spanish Language and Literature

4,427 completions/yr

English/Language Arts Teacher Education

1,693 completions/yr

French Language and Literature

867 completions/yr

English Language and Literature/Letters, Other

670 completions/yr

Japanese Language and Literature

585 completions/yr

Writing, General

452 completions/yr

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other

423 completions/yr

German Language and Literature

414 completions/yr

Considering this direction?

We've taken a hard look at the debt, earnings trajectory, and degree-level tradeoffs for the English Language and Literature, General field. Read our verdict before you commit.

Is English Language and Literature, General worth it? Read verdict
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do English Language and Literature majors actually study day-to-day?
The core work is reading, analysis, and writing — a lot of each. Students move through literary periods and genres, learn to construct arguments about texts, and develop facility with research and revision across different registers of writing. The CIP definition frames the major as covering the history and structure of the English language, literature, and the culture of English-speaking peoples; in practice, that means a mix of survey courses, seminars on specific authors or periods, and writing workshops. By upper division, coursework typically involves sustained independent writing — essays, theses, independent projects — that is evaluated as much on how you argue as what you argue.
What kinds of jobs do English Language and Literature graduates end up in?
The most directly mapped career in the data is secondary school teacher, with a median wage of $64,580 — though projected job growth for that occupation is -1.6%, meaning the field is contracting slightly. Postsecondary English teaching ($78,270 median) is a higher-earning destination but typically requires a doctoral or professional degree beyond the bachelor's. Proofreading and copy marking ($49,210 median) represents a more accessible entry-level path. In practice, many English graduates also move into roles not directly listed in CIP-matched career data: publishing, content strategy, technical writing, communications, and marketing are common destinations that draw on the same skills but don't map neatly to a single SOC code.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for English Language and Literature?
The earnings gap is real: bachelor's completers in this major show median five-year earnings around $49,430, versus about $34,910 for associate's completers — a difference of roughly $14,500. More importantly, most of the direct career paths for this major, including secondary teaching (which requires state licensure and a bachelor's), require a four-year degree as a minimum. An associate's can work as a transfer path toward a bachelor's, and the major is offered at both levels across more than 1,500 colleges, but the employment ceiling without a bachelor's is noticeably lower.
How competitive is the job market for English Language and Literature graduates?
The honest picture is mixed. Secondary school teaching, the most common directly mapped occupation, shows a -1.6% projected job growth rate — meaning the field expects to add fewer positions than currently exist. Postsecondary teaching has flat projected growth (0%) and requires a doctorate for most tenure-track roles. About 27,000 English degrees are awarded each year, which is a large supply relative to the directly matched occupation openings in the data. That said, English graduates' skills — writing, critical analysis, research — translate into a wide range of roles outside the direct career mapping, which is where many graduates actually land.
Is English Language and Literature the right fit, or should I consider a related major?
If your primary goal is teaching English at the K-12 level, English/Language Arts Teacher Education (about 1,846 completions per year) is a more direct track — it combines the content knowledge with the education coursework and clinical hours required for licensure, potentially on a faster timeline. If creative or professional writing is the specific draw, Writing, General (about 488 completions) is more workshop-focused and purpose-built for that aim. English Language and Literature, General is the right choice if you want the broadest possible engagement with language and text — literary history, criticism, linguistics, and writing together — rather than a pre-professional track toward one specific role.
What's a realistic earnings picture after an English Language and Literature degree?
Five-year median earnings for this major sit around $49,086 across degree levels, with bachelor's completers specifically at about $49,430. Those numbers are below the national median for all bachelor's degree holders and reflect the labor market reality of the directly mapped occupations — secondary teaching at $64,580 and proofreading at $49,210 are not high-ceiling roles. The higher-earning destination in the data, postsecondary English teaching at $78,270, requires significant additional education. Graduates who move into adjacent fields — technical writing, content strategy, UX writing, communications — often see earnings above the major's mapped median, but that outcome depends heavily on the specific employer, location, and how graduates market their skills.