Best Writer programs in Louisiana, ranked by enrollment
Originate and prepare written material, such as scripts, stories, advertisements, and other.
18 schools in Louisiana run programs that feed this job, graduating 980 people a year. The job pays a median of $89,520 in Louisiana across about 480 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Louisiana that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
8 programs in Louisiana that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Louisiana (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Louisiana page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 09.0102In Louisiana → | 512 | 52.2% | 10 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0101In Louisiana → | 343 | 35.0% | 8 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 23.1302In Louisiana → | 38 | 3.9% | 4 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0401In Louisiana → | 34 | 3.5% | 2 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0100In Louisiana → | 31 | 3.2% | 2 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 6 | CIP 52.0501In Louisiana → | 13 | 1.3% | 1 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
| 7 | CIP 23.1303In Louisiana → | 5 | 0.5% | 2 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 8 | CIP 23.1401In Louisiana → | 4 | 0.4% | 1 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
Top 18 schools in Louisiana
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 18 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 407 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $38,426 | 69% | — | 73% |
| 2 | Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 146 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $33,428 | 86% | $33,106 | 14% |
| 3 | Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 50 | Journalism | $37,206 | 59% | $22,906 | 93% |
| 4 | Southeastern Louisiana University Hammond, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 48 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $30,207 | 45% | — | 99% |
| 5 | Grambling State University Grambling, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 46 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $27,375 | 36% | — | 45% |
| 6 | University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 32 | Communication, General | $21,460 | 54% | — | 85% |
| 7 | Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | — | 49% | $19,760 | 69% |
| 8 | Louisiana State University at Alexandria Alexandria, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | — | 34% | — | 92% |
| 9 | Southern University and A & M College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | — | 27% | — | 35% |
| 10 | University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 28 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $30,772 | 53% | — | 87% |
| 11 | Northwestern State University of Louisiana Natchitoches, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 27 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $25,137 | 43% | — | 93% |
| 12 | Louisiana Tech University Ruston, LA Public · 3 feeder programs | 25 | Journalism | $21,087 | 64% | — | 86% |
| 13 | McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 25 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $25,131 | 47% | — | 78% |
| 14 | University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Creative Writing | — | 38% | — | 74% |
| 15 | Nicholls State University Thibodaux, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $29,508 | 54% | — | 91% |
| 16 | Dillard University New Orleans, LA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $18,155 | 43% | $18,826 | 42% |
| 17 | Louisiana State University - Shreveport Shreveport, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $26,536 | 38% | — | 51% |
| 18 | Centenary College of Louisiana Shreveport, LA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Communication, General | — | 56% | $24,624 | 56% |
All 18 schools in Louisiana
Every school in Louisiana with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge | Public | 407 | 3 |
| Tulane University of Louisiana | New Orleans | Private not-for-profit | 146 | 1 |
| Loyola University New Orleans | New Orleans | Private not-for-profit | 50 | 5 |
| Southeastern Louisiana University | Hammond | Public | 48 | 1 |
| Grambling State University | Grambling | Public | 46 | 1 |
| University of Louisiana at Monroe | Monroe | Public | 32 | 2 |
| Xavier University of Louisiana | New Orleans | Private not-for-profit | 32 | 1 |
| Louisiana State University at Alexandria | Alexandria | Public | 30 | 1 |
| Southern University and A & M College | Baton Rouge | Public | 28 | 1 |
| University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Lafayette | Public | 28 | 3 |
| Northwestern State University of Louisiana | Natchitoches | Public | 27 | 1 |
| Louisiana Tech University | Ruston | Public | 25 | 3 |
| McNeese State University | Lake Charles | Public | 25 | 2 |
| University of New Orleans | New Orleans | Public | 17 | 1 |
| Nicholls State University | Thibodaux | Public | 15 | 1 |
What writers and authors earn in Louisiana
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $76,910. Louisiana pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Louisiana
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Writers and Authors page.
How to become a Writer
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Louisiana
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 19 majors mapped to Writers and Authors19 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0100Communication, General
- 09.0101Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- 09.0102Mass Communication/Media Studies
- 09.0401Journalism
- 09.0402Broadcast Journalism
- 09.9999Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
- 19.0202Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Communication
- 23.1301Writing, General
- 23.1302Creative Writing
- 23.1303Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing
- 23.1304Rhetoric and Composition
- 23.1399Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other
- 23.1401General Literature
- 23.1405Children's and Adolescent Literature
- 23.1499Literature, Other
- 50.0504Playwriting and Screenwriting
- 50.0511Comedy Writing and Performance
- 52.0501Business/Corporate Communications, General
- 52.0599Business/Corporate Communications, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing writers and authors programs in Louisiana.
What degree do you need to become a Writer?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Mass Communication/Media Studies, which awarded 512 degrees in Louisiana in 2024-25, 52.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Writer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Journalism, Business/Corporate Communications, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 980 people a year in Louisiana.
How much do writers and authors earn in Louisiana?+
The median is $89,520 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 16.4% above the U.S. median of $76,910. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for writers and authors growing?+
BLS projects a +3.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 13,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Louisiana?+
18 institutions in Louisiana reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do writers and authors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Author, Novelist, Copywriter, Songwriter, Freelance Writer, Freelance Copywriter among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-3043.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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