Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 173 college programs, at a typical net price.
On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.
What Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies pays
Career outlook for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies graduates
The job market for the occupations Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postsecondary teachers, all other | 183,400 | +1.8% | $78,490 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Writers and authors | 135,400 | +3.6% | $72,270 | Bachelor's degree |
| Editors | 115,800 | +0.6% | $75,260 | Bachelor's degree |
| English language and literature teachers, postsecondary | 72,200 | +0.0% | $78,270 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Technical writers | 56,400 | +0.9% | $91,670 | Bachelor's degree |
| Proofreaders and copy markers | 12,000 | -0.6% | $49,210 | Bachelor's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies vs similar majors
How Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies stacks up against the closest fields in English Language & Literature on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies English Language & Literature · this major | Literature | English Language and Literature, General | English Language and Literature/Letters, Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 25 F | 24 F | 25 F | 24 F |
| ROI verdict | Poor return | Poor return | Poor return | Poor return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $51,439 | $49,108 | $48,706 | $46,640 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $33,958 | $25,467 | $31,109 | $39,250 |
| ROI vs cost | -21% | -49% | -54% | -80% |
| Typical debt | $26,839 | $24,981 | $22,149 | $21,867 |
| Colleges offering it | 173 | 11 | 644 | 12 |
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Washington-Bothell Campus Bothell, WA | Certificate | $115,188 | — | +1,324% | Strong return |
| 2 | CUNY City College New York, NY | Certificate | $64,449 | — | +1,188% | Strong return |
| 3 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA | Certificate | $115,188 | — | +1,145% | Strong return |
| 4 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Master's | $93,319 | — | +1,117% | Strong return |
| 5 | Utah State University Logan, UT | Associate's | $69,865 | — | +732% | Strong return |
| 6 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | Associate's | $69,742 | $13,000 | +681% | Strong return |
| 7 | California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | Associate's | $54,514 | $12,500 | +662% | Strong return |
| 8 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | Associate's | $92,686 | — | +646% | Strong return |
| 9 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA | Certificate | $73,249 | $26,697 | +603% | Strong return |
| 10 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX | Associate's | $66,592 | $12,917 | +562% | Strong return |
| 11 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL | Associate's | $60,920 | — | +499% | Strong return |
| 12 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY | Associate's | $67,649 | — | +425% | Strong return |
| 13 | Clemson University Clemson, SC | Associate's | $70,941 | $20,250 | +400% | Strong return |
| 14 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ | Associate's | $63,437 | $23,495 | +379% | Strong return |
| 15 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL | Associate's | $54,382 | — | +378% | Strong return |
| 16 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA | Associate's | $65,410 | $20,000 | +373% | Strong return |
| 17 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA | Associate's | $68,972 | $21,891 | +339% | Strong return |
| 18 | University at Albany Albany, NY | Associate's | $59,475 | — | +322% | Strong return |
| 19 | Clemson University Clemson, SC | Certificate | $82,517 | — | +322% | Strong return |
| 20 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus Las Cruces, NM | Associate's | $52,476 | — | +321% | Strong return |
| 21 | Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | Associate's | $62,703 | $13,728 | +315% | Strong return |
| 22 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA | Associate's | $67,069 | $26,000 | +288% | Strong return |
| 23 | St. Joseph's University-New York Brooklyn, NY | Associate's | $62,254 | $21,500 | +276% | Strong return |
| 24 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Associate's | $61,896 | $21,323 | +256% | Strong return |
| 25 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI | Associate's | $62,048 | $24,360 | +253% | Strong return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.