Best degree programs for English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary, ranked by enrollment
19 college programs and 1,563 schools train English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $78,760 median wage, 57,720 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
19 college programs at 1,563 schools train english language and literature teachers, postsecondary, graduating 50,591 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is English Language and Literature, General. The job pays a median of $78,760 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About english language and literature teachers, postsecondary
Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
19 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 23.0101 | 31,764 | 62.8% | 1,374 | $29,622 | $24,546 |
| 2 | CIP 23.1302 | 7,090 | 14.0% | 448 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 3 | CIP 23.1303 | 3,683 | 7.3% | 161 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 4 | CIP 13.1305 | 2,847 | 5.6% | 349 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 5 | CIP 23.1304 | 1,283 | 2.5% | 81 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 6 | CIP 23.9999 | 869 | 1.7% | 52 | $24,239 | $25,500 |
| 7 | CIP 16.0104 | 845 | 1.7% | 74 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 8 | CIP 23.1301 | 674 | 1.3% | 101 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 9 | CIP 23.1399 | 581 | 1.1% | 16 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 10 | CIP 23.1401 | 415 | 0.8% | 59 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
| 11 | CIP 23.1404 | 244 | 0.5% | 9 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
| 12 | CIP 30.5202 | 133 | 0.3% | 12 | — | — |
| 13 | CIP 23.1405 | 74 | 0.1% | 6 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
| 14 | Cultural Studies and Comparative Literaturemain feeder CIP 30.3601 | 22 | 0.0% | 4 | — | — |
| 15 | CIP 23.1402 | 19 | 0.0% | 4 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
| 16 | CIP 23.1499 | 17 | 0.0% | 6 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
| 17 | CIP 30.4801 | 17 | 0.0% | 6 | — | — |
| 18 | CIP 30.5201 | 10 | 0.0% | 2 | — | — |
| 19 | CIP 30.4701 | 4 | 0.0% | 1 | — | — |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What english language and literature teachers, postsecondary earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $130,490 | 5,460 | 0.81× | 180 | 6,703 |
| New York | $84,850 | 6,110 | 1.70× | 106 | 4,512 |
| Georgia | $65,530 | 1,140 | 0.63× | 49 | 3,290 |
| Texas | $78,900 | 4,310 | 0.83× | 85 | 3,103 |
| Pennsylvania | $80,670 | 2,530 | 1.12× | 98 | 2,326 |
| Florida | $59,740 | 2,480 | 0.67× | 30 | 2,259 |
| Massachusetts | $83,980 | 2,900 | 2.14× | 55 | 1,849 |
| Virginia | $67,330 | 1,810 | 1.19× | 40 | 1,712 |
| New Hampshire | $98,650 | 230 | 0.89× | 17 | 1,554 |
| Ohio | $65,140 | 2,240 | 1.09× | 65 | 1,520 |
| Illinois | $77,570 | 2,570 | 1.13× | 48 | 1,382 |
| Arizona | $76,990 | 870 | 0.73× | 19 | 1,346 |
| North Carolina | $63,370 | 2,140 | 1.17× | 44 | 1,271 |
| Michigan | $90,240 | 1,730 | 1.06× | 39 | 1,118 |
| New Jersey | $78,760 | 1,950 | 1.23× | 31 | 1,065 |
| Utah | $73,280 | 420 | 0.66× | 11 | 949 |
| Missouri | $73,070 | 1,040 | 0.95× | 37 | 854 |
| Washington | $79,840 | 1,000 | 0.76× | 19 | 835 |
| Indiana | $69,180 | 1,000 | 0.84× | 42 | 834 |
| Minnesota | $84,200 | 920 | 0.84× | 36 | 791 |
| Colorado | $72,910 | 1,220 | 1.14× | 24 | 788 |
| Tennessee | $64,220 | 1,150 | 0.95× | 34 | 778 |
| Maryland | $83,760 | 830 | 0.81× | 30 | 749 |
| Wisconsin | $80,800 | 840 | 0.77× | 30 | 661 |
| Connecticut | $97,310 | 940 | 1.50× | 18 | 645 |
| Iowa | $79,720 | 510 | 0.89× | 32 | 626 |
| Oregon | $91,870 | 960 | 1.32× | 21 | 625 |
| South Carolina | $64,470 | 840 | 0.99× | 29 | 521 |
| Kentucky | $65,090 | 540 | 0.73× | 24 | 514 |
| Alabama | $62,910 | 1,040 | 1.32× | 23 | 501 |
| Louisiana | $60,350 | 430 | 0.60× | 21 | 478 |
| Kansas | $62,340 | 460 | 0.86× | 20 | 358 |
| Vermont | $86,870 | 170 | 1.48× | 8 | 355 |
| Oklahoma | $53,200 | 500 | 0.79× | 25 | 340 |
| Arkansas | $56,520 | 320 | 0.67× | 17 | 297 |
| Rhode Island | $79,190 | 540 | 2.93× | 8 | 292 |
| Mississippi | $60,680 | 530 | 1.22× | 20 | 273 |
| New Mexico | $66,450 | 230 | 0.71× | 10 | 258 |
| Nebraska | $78,450 | 500 | 1.32× | 15 | 252 |
| Nevada | $85,830 | 280 | 0.48× | 6 | 246 |
| District of Columbia | $82,300 | 410 | 1.56× | 8 | 209 |
| West Virginia | $63,280 | 250 | 0.95× | 12 | 209 |
| Maine | $84,290 | 230 | 0.99× | 12 | 205 |
| Montana | $73,160 | 130 | 0.68× | 6 | 136 |
| North Dakota | $63,690 | 120 | 0.76× | 8 | 95 |
| South Dakota | $62,960 | 110 | 0.65× | 9 | 83 |
| Delawaremoderate | $97,100 | — | — | 3 | 74 |
| Wyoming | $62,030 | 140 | 1.30× | 6 | 70 |
| Alaskamoderate | $82,770 | 90 | 0.78× | 4 | 45 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Teach writing or communication classes.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as poetry, novel structure, and translation and adaptation.
- Assist students who need extra help with their coursework outside of class.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.8
- Writing4.3
- Speaking4.1
- Active Listening4.0
- Learning Strategies4.0
- Active Learning3.9
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Monitoring3.6
Knowledge areas
- English Language4.7
- Education and Training4.5
- Communications and Media4.1
- History and Archeology3.8
- Philosophy and Theology3.7
- Sociology and Anthropology3.7
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.9
- Oral Expression4.6
- Oral Comprehension4.3
- Written Expression4.3
- Speech Clarity4.0
- Deductive Reasoning3.9
Core activities
- Training and Teaching Others4.7
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.5
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.5
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.5
- Thinking Creatively4.5
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.4
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a English Language
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 21 majors mapped to English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary19 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 13.1305English/Language Arts Teacher Education
- 16.0104Comparative Literature
- 23.0101English Language and Literature, General
- 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
- 23.1402American Literature (United States)
- 23.1403American Literature (Canadian)(no graduates reported)
- 23.1404English Literature (British and Commonwealth)
- 23.1405Children's and Adolescent Literature
- 23.1499Literature, Other
- 23.9999English Language and Literature/Letters, Other
- 30.3601Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature
- 30.4701Linguistics and Anthropology
- 30.4801Linguistics and Computer Science
- 30.5201Digital Humanities and Textual Studies, General
- 30.5202Digital Humanities
- 30.5203Textual Studies(no graduates reported)
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become an English Language?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is English Language and Literature, General, which awarded 31,764 degrees in 2024-25, 62.8% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an English Language?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 19 programs to this occupation. The largest are English Language and Literature, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Teacher Education and Professional Development, English Language and Literature/Letters, plus 6 more. Together they graduate about 50,591 people a year.
How much do english language and literature teachers, postsecondary earn?+
The median is $78,760 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $48,270 at the 10th percentile to $137,250 at the 90th. 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 english language and literature teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +0.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 5,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1,563 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 19 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 english language and literature teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Instructor, English Professor, English Instructor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1123.
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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