ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a associate's degree in English Language and Literature, General worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 15 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$204,780 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.
Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−198%Estimated return after 10 years
$34,868Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$191,325
$7,000Current college-wide context−$205,325
$8,000Annual price−$207,325
$16,000Annual price−$223,325
$24,000Annual price−$239,325
$32,000Annual price−$255,325
$40,000Annual price−$271,325
Outcomes at a glance
$34,868Typical earnings four years after completion
$31,004Average earnings five years after completion
$8,923Typical federal student debt
10thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
Not availableDegrees awarded in 2024–25
14College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 0 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about English Language and Literature, General
How much do English Language and Literature, General associate's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $34,868 four years after completion across reportable associate's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $8,923. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for English Language and Literature, General?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $29,167 to $38,049 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to English Language and Literature, General?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 3 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $29,719
- Federal debt
- $8,711
- Programs in the comparison
- 12
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $34,868
- Federal debt
- $8,923
- Programs in the comparison
- 15
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $48,926
- Federal debt
- $24,636
- Programs in the comparison
- 614
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $61,269
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 43
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $66,586
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 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$29,167National median$34,86875th percentile$38,049
14 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
Highest observed earnings
San Jacinto Community College
$45,720 four years after completionPasadena, TX · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtCUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
$5,700 among completer borrowersNew York, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classAustin Community College District
37 reported awards in 2024–25Austin, TX · inspect the full program →PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$42,621Observed year-4 earnings$26,316
San Jacinto Community College$12,143 price · $45,720 earningsCUNY Bronx Community College$4,462 price · $42,621 earningsSan Diego Mesa College$5,814 price · $41,826 earningsCollege of Southern Nevada$6,615 price · $38,274 earningsSanta Ana College$3,133 price · $38,049 earningsCUNY LaGuardia Community College$6,120 price · $37,021 earningsRiverside City College$8,377 price · $34,561 earningsCUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College$4,976 price · $33,103 earningsMt San Antonio College$6,490 price · $31,741 earningsSouth Texas College$1,751 price · $29,167 earningsSan Diego City College$7,935 price · $28,005 earningsFresno City College$8,069 price · $27,162 earningsAustin Community College District$6,390 price · $26,316 earnings
$1,751Annual college-wide average net price$8,377
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
15 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 15 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1San Jacinto Community College$45,7202CUNY Bronx Community College$42,6213San Diego Mesa College$41,8264College of Southern Nevada$38,2745Santa Ana College$38,0496CUNY LaGuardia Community College$37,0217College of the Sequoias$35,1748Riverside City College$34,5619CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College$33,10310Mt San Antonio College$31,741Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$78,760 median wage57,720 jobs nationwide+0.0% projected growth through 2035 · 4,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$48,270–$137,250 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage rangeProofreaders and Copy Markers$51,120 median wage4,580 jobs nationwide-0.9% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$34,510–$79,290 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
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.