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English Language and Literature, General.
Doctoral Degree•143 Institutions
Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.
Annual Full Cost vs. Median Earnings
Each dot represents one program at an institution. Shows the spread of annual sticker price (or net price if sticker price is unavailable) vs earnings 4 years post-grad.
Field Median ($56,415)
P25-P75 Interval ($47,260 - $66,171)
HS Baseline ($35,872)
Breakeven Line (0% ROI)
Institution | State | Earnings | Avg Net Price | Median Debt | Lifetime Value Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tuscaloosa | AL | - Nat: $65,831 | $22,420 /yr | - | -$0 |
Auburn | AL | - Nat: $65,831 | $24,323 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tucson | AZ | - Nat: $65,831 | $16,674 /yr | - | -$0 |
Fayetteville | AR | - Nat: $65,831 | $18,209 /yr | - | -$0 |
Berkeley | CA | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,481 /yr | - | -$0 |
Irvine | CA | - Nat: $65,831 | $14,251 /yr | - | -$0 |
Santa Barbara | CA | - Nat: $65,831 | $16,109 /yr | - | -$0 |
Claremont | CA | - Nat: $65,831 | - /yr | - | -$0 |
Boulder | CO | - Nat: $65,831 | $25,346 /yr | - | -$0 |
Storrs | CT | - Nat: $65,831 | $25,097 /yr | - | -$0 |
New Haven | CT | - Nat: $65,831 | $23,777 /yr | - | -$0 |
Newark | DE | - Nat: $65,831 | $17,799 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $65,831 | $29,561 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $65,831 | $36,586 /yr | - | -$0 |
Washington | DC | - Nat: $65,831 | $50,539 /yr | - | -$0 |
Coral Gables | FL | - Nat: $65,831 | $37,244 /yr | - | -$0 |
Tampa | FL | - Nat: $65,831 | $9,812 /yr | - | -$0 |
Athens | GA | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,936 /yr | - | -$0 |
Honolulu | HI | - Nat: $65,831 | $15,664 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pocatello | ID | - Nat: $65,831 | $12,193 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chicago | IL | - Nat: $65,831 | $14,860 /yr | - | -$0 |
Champaign | IL | - Nat: $65,831 | $14,355 /yr | - | -$0 |
Normal | IL | - Nat: $65,831 | $19,398 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chicago | IL | - Nat: $65,831 | $36,079 /yr | - | -$0 |
Dekalb | IL | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,391 /yr | - | -$0 |
Evanston | IL | - Nat: $65,831 | $29,167 /yr | - | -$0 |
Carbondale | IL | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,297 /yr | - | -$0 |
Muncie | IN | - Nat: $65,831 | $14,940 /yr | - | -$0 |
Notre Dame | IN | - Nat: $65,831 | $26,780 /yr | - | -$0 |
Ames | IA | - Nat: $65,831 | $18,589 /yr | - | -$0 |
Lawrence | KS | - Nat: $65,831 | $18,059 /yr | - | -$0 |
Baton Rouge | LA | - Nat: $65,831 | $19,151 /yr | - | -$0 |
Baltimore | MD | - Nat: $65,831 | $18,809 /yr | - | -$0 |
College Park | MD | - Nat: $65,831 | $15,678 /yr | - | -$0 |
Baltimore | MD | - Nat: $65,831 | $14,985 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chestnut Hill | MA | - Nat: $65,831 | $41,704 /yr | - | -$0 |
Boston | MA | - Nat: $65,831 | $24,402 /yr | - | -$0 |
Waltham | MA | - Nat: $65,831 | $35,736 /yr | - | -$0 |
Cambridge | MA | - Nat: $65,831 | $19,066 /yr | - | -$0 |
Boston | MA | - Nat: $65,831 | $30,915 /yr | - | -$0 |
Medford | MA | - Nat: $65,831 | $39,998 /yr | - | -$0 |
Ann Arbor | MI | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,138 /yr | - | -$0 |
East Lansing | MI | - Nat: $65,831 | $19,680 /yr | - | -$0 |
Detroit | MI | - Nat: $65,831 | $12,766 /yr | - | -$0 |
Kalamazoo | MI | - Nat: $65,831 | $15,273 /yr | - | -$0 |
Minneapolis | MN | - Nat: $65,831 | $16,778 /yr | - | -$0 |
University | MS | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,314 /yr | - | -$0 |
Hattiesburg | MS | - Nat: $65,831 | $21,708 /yr | - | -$0 |
Columbia | MO | - Nat: $65,831 | $20,268 /yr | - | -$0 |
Kansas City | MO | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,310 /yr | - | -$0 |
Saint Louis | MO | - Nat: $65,831 | $24,398 /yr | - | -$0 |
St. Louis | MO | - Nat: $65,831 | $21,786 /yr | - | -$0 |
Las Vegas | NV | - Nat: $65,831 | $10,359 /yr | - | -$0 |
Reno | NV | - Nat: $65,831 | $15,927 /yr | - | -$0 |
Durham | NH | - Nat: $65,831 | $23,805 /yr | - | -$0 |
Princeton | NJ | - Nat: $65,831 | $6,128 /yr | - | -$0 |
New Brunswick | NJ | - Nat: $65,831 | $24,406 /yr | - | -$0 |
Albuquerque | NM | - Nat: $65,831 | $15,489 /yr | - | -$0 |
New York | NY | - Nat: $65,831 | $21,590 /yr | - | -$0 |
Ithaca | NY | - Nat: $65,831 | $28,690 /yr | - | -$0 |
New York | NY | - Nat: $65,831 | $37,050 /yr | - | -$0 |
Rochester | NY | - Nat: $65,831 | $29,278 /yr | - | -$0 |
Queens | NY | - Nat: $65,831 | $29,999 /yr | - | -$0 |
Albany | NY | - Nat: $65,831 | $17,167 /yr | - | -$0 |
Stony Brook | NY | - Nat: $65,831 | $18,784 /yr | - | -$0 |
Syracuse | NY | - Nat: $65,831 | $38,793 /yr | - | -$0 |
Durham | NC | - Nat: $65,831 | $29,612 /yr | - | -$0 |
Chapel Hill | NC | - Nat: $65,831 | $11,655 /yr | - | -$0 |
Grand Forks | ND | - Nat: $65,831 | $18,551 /yr | - | -$0 |
Cleveland | OH | - Nat: $65,831 | $41,190 /yr | - | -$0 |
Cincinnati | OH | - Nat: $65,831 | $25,648 /yr | - | -$0 |
Kent | OH | - Nat: $65,831 | $20,787 /yr | - | -$0 |
Oxford | OH | - Nat: $65,831 | $28,384 /yr | - | -$0 |
Athens | OH | - Nat: $65,831 | $21,637 /yr | - | -$0 |
Stillwater | OK | - Nat: $65,831 | $17,447 /yr | - | -$0 |
Norman | OK | - Nat: $65,831 | $15,300 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pittsburgh | PA | - Nat: $65,831 | $37,730 /yr | - | -$0 |
Bethlehem | PA | - Nat: $65,831 | $36,931 /yr | - | -$0 |
University Park | PA | - Nat: $65,831 | $32,875 /yr | - | -$0 |
Philadelphia | PA | - Nat: $65,831 | $28,699 /yr | - | -$0 |
Pittsburgh | PA | - Nat: $65,831 | $30,434 /yr | - | -$0 |
Providence | RI | - Nat: $65,831 | $25,184 /yr | - | -$0 |
Columbia | SC | - Nat: $65,831 | $22,811 /yr | - | -$0 |
Vermillion | SD | - Nat: $65,831 | $19,858 /yr | - | -$0 |
Memphis | TN | - Nat: $65,831 | $12,397 /yr | - | -$0 |
Murfreesboro | TN | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,359 /yr | - | -$0 |
Knoxville | TN | - Nat: $65,831 | $18,976 /yr | - | -$0 |
Nashville | TN | - Nat: $65,831 | $15,846 /yr | - | -$0 |
Waco | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $41,104 /yr | - | -$0 |
Irving | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $22,610 /yr | - | -$0 |
East Texas A&M University ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Commerce | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $11,841 /yr | - | -$0 |
Houston | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $14,276 /yr | - | -$0 |
Houston | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,370 /yr | - | -$0 |
Dallas | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $40,892 /yr | - | -$0 |
College Station | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $21,315 /yr | - | -$0 |
The University of Texas at Arlington ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. Arlington | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,951 /yr | - | -$0 |
Fort Worth | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $36,660 /yr | - | -$0 |
San Antonio | TX | - Nat: $65,831 | $10,836 /yr | - | -$0 |
Salt Lake City | UT | - Nat: $65,831 | $16,200 /yr | - | -$0 |
Charlottesville | VA | - Nat: $65,831 | $21,565 /yr | - | -$0 |
Morgantown | WV | - Nat: $65,831 | $15,634 /yr | - | -$0 |
Milwaukee | WI | - Nat: $65,831 | $31,487 /yr | - | -$0 |
San Juan | PR | - Nat: $65,831 | $9,175 /yr | - | -$0 |
Stanford | CA | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,807 /yr | - | -$0 |
Waterbury | CT | - Nat: $65,831 | $10,875 /yr | - | -$0 |
Groton | CT | - Nat: $65,831 | $13,807 /yr | - | -$0 |
Stamford | CT | - Nat: $65,831 | $16,798 /yr | - | -$0 |
Hartford | CT | - Nat: $65,831 | $16,403 /yr | - | -$0 |
CUNY Graduate School and University Center ⚠️ Caution: This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate its ROI. New York | NY | $75,306 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | - /yr | - | -$89k |
Gainesville | FL | $69,667 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $6,541 /yr | - | -$155k |
Atlanta | GA | $75,551 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $22,585 /yr | - | -$169k |
Indiana | PA | $72,454 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $16,804 /yr | $57,997 | -$171k |
Davis | CA | $66,171 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $14,741 /yr | - | -$191k |
Milwaukee | WI | $68,298 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $15,014 /yr | - | -$196k |
Riverside | CA | $67,356 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $14,304 /yr | - | -$200k |
West Lafayette | IN | $66,586 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $14,600 /yr | - | -$207k |
Bloomington | IN | $66,488 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $16,264 /yr | - | -$214k |
Columbus | OH | $66,460 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $17,339 /yr | - | -$218k |
Los Angeles | CA | $61,516 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $12,548 /yr | - | -$219k |
Tallahassee | FL | $60,363 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $11,297 /yr | $50,647 | -$243k |
Lafayette | LA | $61,123 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $13,530 /yr | - | -$245k |
Tempe | AZ | $57,318 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $14,967 /yr | - | -$262k |
Atlanta | GA | $58,877 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $15,931 /yr | $78,016 | -$271k |
Kingston | RI | $58,673 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $21,440 /yr | - | -$274k |
Iowa City | IA | $59,774 Nat: $65,831 4yr Post-Grad | $22,531 /yr | - | -$288k |
Lubbock | TX | $55,338 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $19,070 /yr | - | -$293k |
Seattle | WA | $50,856 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $14,091 /yr | - | -$312k |
Madison | WI | $50,439 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $17,354 /yr | - | -$328k |
Los Angeles | CA | $55,964 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $32,740 /yr | - | -$337k |
Lexington | KY | $49,019 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $18,851 /yr | - | -$345k |
Chicago | IL | $44,942 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $10,974 /yr | - | -$351k |
Greensboro | NC | $44,747 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $10,965 /yr | - | -$353k |
Austin | TX | $48,041 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $19,857 /yr | - | -$357k |
Buffalo | NY | $48,432 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $20,995 /yr | - | -$358k |
Denton | TX | $45,696 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $15,649 /yr | - | -$362k |
Tulsa | OK | $44,971 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $15,000 /yr | - | -$366k |
Amherst | MA | $47,260 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $22,383 /yr | - | -$373k |
Bronx | NY | $56,415 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $44,338 /yr | - | -$375k |
Bowling Green | OH | $47,260 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $24,022 /yr | - | -$379k |
Pullman | WA | $42,682 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $14,971 /yr | - | -$385k |
Denver | CO | $49,058 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $36,131 /yr | - | -$407k |
Eugene | OR | $42,235 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $22,182 /yr | - | -$415k |
Lincoln | NE | $39,909 Nat: $65,831 2yr Post-Grad | $17,747 /yr | - | -$419k |
Analysis Notes:
- Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median bachelor's degree holder, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
- Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).Note: For graduate programs, the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition and net price.
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.