Best degree programs for Proofreaders and Copy Markers, ranked by enrollment
5 college programs and 1,444 schools train Proofreaders and Copy Markers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $51,120 median wage, 4,580 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
5 college programs at 1,444 schools train proofreaders and copy markers, graduating 43,113 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is English Language and Literature, General. The job pays a median of $51,120 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About proofreaders and copy markers
Read transcript or proof type setup to detect and mark for correction any grammatical, typographical, or compositional errors. Excludes workers whose primary duty is editing copy. Includes proofreaders of braille.
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.
5 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 | English Language and Literature, Generalmain feeder CIP 23.0101 | 31,764 | 73.7% | 1,374 | $29,622 | $24,546 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0401 | 9,258 | 21.5% | 356 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 3 | CIP 52.0501 | 836 | 1.9% | 57 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
| 4 | CIP 23.1301 | 674 | 1.6% | 101 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 5 | CIP 23.1399 | 581 | 1.3% | 16 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What proofreaders and copy markers 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 | $57,490 | 300 | 0.55× | 178 | 7,016 |
| New York | $59,740 | 1,030 | 3.61× | 92 | 3,323 |
| Texas | $41,990 | 200 | 0.47× | 82 | 3,251 |
| Florida | $35,610 | 200 | 0.68× | 27 | 2,345 |
| Massachusetts | $57,160 | 190 | 1.74× | 52 | 1,621 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,510 | 230 | 1.27× | 94 | 1,511 |
| Georgia | $49,200 | — | — | 37 | 1,265 |
| Illinois | $50,060 | 300 | 1.66× | 45 | 1,242 |
| Ohio | $55,560 | 100 | 0.64× | 58 | 1,193 |
| North Carolina | $46,140 | 70 | 0.45× | 44 | 1,089 |
| New Jersey | $56,700 | 160 | 1.27× | 28 | 1,032 |
| Missouri | $52,920 | 110 | 1.22× | 34 | 964 |
| Michigan | $35,530 | 140 | 1.05× | 38 | 943 |
| Wisconsin | $43,630 | 60 | 0.74× | 26 | 931 |
| Virginia | $48,090 | 90 | 0.70× | 38 | 917 |
| Colorado | — | 120 | 1.39× | 25 | 850 |
| Indiana | $40,920 | 80 | 0.85× | 38 | 773 |
| Maryland | $53,920 | — | — | 22 | 684 |
| Washington | $53,890 | 60 | 0.53× | 16 | 601 |
| Connecticut | — | 70 | 1.45× | 17 | 566 |
| Kansas | $51,160 | 90 | 2.18× | 19 | 517 |
| Utah | $42,840 | — | — | 9 | 517 |
| Oklahoma | — | 40 | 0.77× | 25 | 507 |
| Minnesota | $49,450 | — | — | 32 | 494 |
| South Carolina | $42,900 | 40 | 0.53× | 29 | 464 |
| Kentucky | $46,380 | 70 | 1.19× | 23 | 457 |
| Iowa | $44,680 | 110 | 2.36× | 28 | 447 |
| West Virginia | $36,730 | 50 | 2.63× | 12 | 350 |
| District of Columbia | $68,120 | 50 | 2.66× | 8 | 299 |
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
- Mark copy to indicate and correct errors in type, arrangement, grammar, punctuation, or spelling, using standard printers' marks.
- Read corrected copies or proofs to ensure that all corrections have been made.
- Correct or record omissions, errors, or inconsistencies found.
- Compare information or figures on one record against same data on other records, or with original copy, to detect errors.
- Route proofs with marked corrections to authors, editors, typists, or typesetters for correction or reprinting.
- Consult reference books or secure aid of readers to check references with rules of grammar and composition.
- Consult with authors and editors regarding manuscript changes and suggestions.
- Archive documents, conduct research, and read copy, using the internet and various computer programs.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.3
- Writing3.6
- Speaking3.3
- Active Listening3.1
- Critical Thinking3.0
- Monitoring2.9
- Active Learning2.5
- Learning Strategies2.0
Knowledge areas
- English Language5.0
- Communications and Media3.4
- Computers and Electronics3.0
- Administrative2.6
- Administration and Management2.4
- Customer and Personal Service2.2
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.4
- Near Vision3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.8
- Written Expression3.6
- Oral Expression3.5
- Problem Sensitivity3.3
Core activities
- Getting Information4.4
- Working with Computers4.1
- Processing Information4.1
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships3.8
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events3.8
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge3.5
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Proofreader
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
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.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Proofreaders and Copy Markers5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0401Journalism
- 23.0101English Language and Literature, General
- 23.1301Writing, General
- 23.1399Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other
- 52.0501Business/Corporate Communications, General
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 a Proofreader?+
Bachelor's 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, 73.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Proofreader?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are English Language and Literature, Journalism, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Business/Corporate Communications. Together they graduate about 43,113 people a year.
How much do proofreaders and copy markers earn?+
The median is $51,120 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $34,510 at the 10th percentile to $79,290 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 proofreaders and copy markers growing?+
BLS projects a -0.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 1,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1,444 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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 proofreaders and copy markers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Typesetter, Copy Editor, Proofreader, News Copy Editor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 43-9081.
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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