English Language and Literature, General: is this master's degree worth it?
National picture across 43 reporting college programs.
Personal baseline needed
$61,269 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$61,269Median year-4 earnings
$17,938Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Observed national outcomes
$61,269Median reported earnings · year 4
$60,376Average reported earnings · year 5
Not availableMedian federal debt
19thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
43Reporting programs
43With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $29,719
- Federal debt
- $8,711
- Reporting programs
- 12
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $34,868
- Federal debt
- $8,923
- Reporting programs
- 15
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $48,926
- Federal debt
- $24,636
- Reporting programs
- 614
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $61,269
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 43
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $66,586
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 13
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$55,691National median$61,26975th percentile$65,658
43 programs report year‑4 earnings.See the spread, not just the national number.
1Georgetown University$101,4632Wayne State University$76,2013Middlebury College$75,8074College of Staten Island CUNY$71,7075California State Polytechnic University-Pomona$69,8426Salem State University$69,7547Notre Dame of Maryland University$68,7608George Mason University$67,1269National University$66,18910The College of New Jersey$66,123Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
English Language and Literature Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1123 · 1 crosswalk linksProofreaders and Copy MarkersSOC 43-9081 · 1 crosswalk linksSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationSOC 25-2031 · 1 crosswalk links
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | ROI status | Cost context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgetown UniversityMaster's Degree | Washington, DC | $101,463 | Not available | Baseline needed | $40,815 |
| 2 | Wayne State UniversityMaster's Degree | Detroit, MI | $76,201 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,766 |
| 3 | Middlebury CollegeMaster's Degree | Middlebury, VT | $75,807 | Not available | Baseline needed | $31,483 |
| 4 | College of Staten Island CUNYMaster's Degree | Staten Island, NY | $71,707 | Not available | Baseline needed | $5,579 |
| 5 | California State Polytechnic University-PomonaMaster's Degree | Pomona, CA | $69,842 | Not available | Baseline needed | $11,531 |
| 6 | Salem State UniversityMaster's Degree | Salem, MA | $69,754 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,996 |
| 7 | Notre Dame of Maryland UniversityMaster's Degree | Baltimore, MD | $68,760 | Not available | Baseline needed | $19,169 |
| 8 | George Mason UniversityMaster's Degree | Fairfax, VA | $67,126 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,915 |
| 9 | National UniversityMaster's Degree | San Diego, CA | $66,189 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,878 |
| 10 | The College of New JerseyMaster's Degree | Ewing, NJ | $66,123 | Not available | Baseline needed | $27,646 |
| 11 | Arizona State University Campus ImmersionMaster's Degree | Tempe, AZ | $65,658 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,967 |
| 12 | Arizona State University Digital ImmersionMaster's Degree | Scottsdale, AZ | $65,658 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 13 | Monmouth UniversityMaster's Degree | West Long Branch, NJ | $65,238 | Not available | Baseline needed | $30,988 |
| 14 | University of Massachusetts-BostonMaster's Degree | Boston, MA | $64,893 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,707 |
| 15 | Boston CollegeMaster's Degree | Chestnut Hill, MA | $64,159 | Not available | Baseline needed | $41,704 |
| 16 | California State University, FullertonMaster's Degree | Fullerton, CA | $63,212 | Not available | Baseline needed | $6,555 |
| 17 | California State University, Los AngelesMaster's Degree | Los Angeles, CA | $62,904 | Not available | Baseline needed | $3,967 |
| 18 | The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyMaster's Degree | Edinburg, TX | $62,899 | Not available | Baseline needed | $4,831 |
| 19 | Bridgewater State UniversityMaster's Degree | Bridgewater, MA | $62,844 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,383 |
| 20 | San Francisco State UniversityMaster's Degree | San Francisco, CA | $62,210 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,278 |
| 21 | California State University, NorthridgeMaster's Degree | Northridge, CA | $61,735 | Not available | Baseline needed | $7,021 |
| 22 | Miami University-OxfordMaster's Degree | Oxford, OH | $61,269 | Not available | Baseline needed | $28,384 |
| 23 | University of North Carolina at CharlotteMaster's Degree | Charlotte, NC | $60,452 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,435 |
| 24 | University of Northern IowaMaster's Degree | Cedar Falls, IA | $60,443 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,901 |
| 25 | The University of Texas at TylerMaster's Degree | Tyler, TX | $59,336 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,323 |
| 26 | Texas State UniversityMaster's Degree | San Marcos, TX | $58,914 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,805 |
| 27 | Salisbury UniversityMaster's Degree | Salisbury, MD | $58,759 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,743 |
| 28 | Seton Hall UniversityMaster's Degree | South Orange, NJ | $57,651 | Not available | Baseline needed | $31,446 |
| 29 | Ohio University-Main CampusMaster's Degree | Athens, OH | $57,400 | Not available | Baseline needed | $21,637 |
| 30 | Slippery Rock University of PennsylvaniaMaster's Degree | Slippery Rock, PA | $57,227 | Not available | Baseline needed | $19,608 |
| 31 | North Carolina State University at RaleighMaster's Degree | Raleigh, NC | $57,070 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,303 |
| 32 | Western Illinois UniversityMaster's Degree | Macomb, IL | $55,987 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,937 |
| 33 | University at AlbanyMaster's Degree | Albany, NY | $55,691 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,167 |
| 34 | University of North FloridaMaster's Degree | Jacksonville, FL | $54,367 | Not available | Baseline needed | $10,154 |
| 35 | Morehead State UniversityMaster's Degree | Morehead, KY | $54,214 | Not available | Baseline needed | $9,793 |
| 36 | Southern New Hampshire UniversityMaster's Degree | Manchester, NH | $54,001 | Not available | Baseline needed | $36,708 |
| 37 | Ohio State University-Main CampusMaster's Degree | Columbus, OH | $51,416 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,339 |
| 38 | East Carolina UniversityMaster's Degree | Greenville, NC | $50,883 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,739 |
| 39 | Northern Illinois UniversityMaster's Degree | Dekalb, IL | $50,510 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,391 |
| 40 | Colorado State University-Fort CollinsMaster's Degree | Fort Collins, CO | $50,330 | Not available | Baseline needed | $21,279 |
| 41 | San Diego State UniversityMaster's Degree | San Diego, CA | $48,158 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,364 |
| 42 | California State University, Long BeachMaster's Degree | Long Beach, CA | $47,026 | Not available | Baseline needed | $10,440 |
| 43 | Western Carolina UniversityMaster's Degree | Cullowhee, NC | $46,104 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,315 |
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.