BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a bachelor's degree in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 153 college programs with reportable data.
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$241,097 over 10 years
National scenario across reporting bachelor's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 4-year duration.
122.6 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−92%Estimated return after 10 years
$47,141Observed 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−$158,590
$8,000Annual price−$190,590
$16,000Annual price−$222,590
$21,000Current college-wide context−$242,590
$24,000Annual price−$254,590
$32,000Annual price−$286,590
$40,000Annual price−$318,590
Outcomes at a glance
$47,141Typical earnings four years after completion
$49,789Average earnings five years after completion
$25,000Typical federal student debt
14thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
172Degrees awarded in 2024–25
137College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 26 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
How much do Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies bachelor's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $47,141 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
The median reported federal debt is $25,000. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.
Does the college matter for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $40,573 to $57,012 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 6 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
- $54,877
- Federal debt
- $26,698
- Programs in the comparison
- 4
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $46,418
- Federal debt
- $25,250
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $47,141
- Federal debt
- $25,000
- Programs in the comparison
- 153
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $57,116
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 76
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $68,788
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $65,582
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
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$40,573National median$47,14175th percentile$57,012
137 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
University of Richmond
$81,253 four years after completionUniversity of Richmond, VA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debtJohns Hopkins University
$13,728 among completer borrowersBaltimore, MD · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating classUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities
139 reported awards in 2024–25Minneapolis, MN · 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.
$71,205Observed year-4 earnings$59,032
University of Richmond$31,309 price · $81,253 earningsUniversity of Utah$16,200 price · $75,686 earningsCarnegie Mellon University$31,944 price · $71,205 earningsIowa State University$18,589 price · $69,673 earningsUniversity of California, Berkeley$13,481 price · $69,373 earningsHobart William Smith Colleges$31,563 price · $68,522 earningsThe University of Texas at Austin$19,857 price · $68,314 earningsSaint Johns University$25,672 price · $67,607 earningsClemson University$22,253 price · $67,102 earningsWabash College$24,336 price · $65,605 earningsCollege of Saint Benedict$26,640 price · $64,449 earningsJohns Hopkins University$18,809 price · $63,503 earningsLoyola University Maryland$30,574 price · $62,745 earningsUniversity of North Texas$15,649 price · $62,703 earningsMarquette University$31,487 price · $62,473 earningsGeorge Mason University$17,915 price · $62,383 earningsUniversity of Nebraska at Kearney$16,242 price · $61,941 earningsArizona State University Campus Immersion$14,967 price · $61,676 earningsMiami University-Oxford$28,384 price · $61,474 earningsSyracuse University$38,793 price · $61,159 earningsUtah State University$14,936 price · $60,940 earningsTexas Tech University$19,070 price · $60,563 earningsUniversity of Minnesota-Twin Cities$16,778 price · $60,415 earningsSeattle University$34,662 price · $60,291 earningsMetropolitan State University$16,863 price · $59,779 earningsThe University of Texas at Arlington$13,951 price · $59,430 earningsGrand Canyon University$22,472 price · $59,281 earningsSan Francisco State University$12,278 price · $59,032 earningsMetropolitan State University of Denver$15,327 price · $58,918 earnings
$13,481Annual college-wide average net price$31,944
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of Richmond$81,2532University of Utah$75,6863Carnegie Mellon University$71,2054Iowa State University$69,6735University of California, Berkeley$69,3736Hobart William Smith Colleges$68,5227The University of Texas at Austin$68,3148Saint Johns University$67,6079Clemson University$67,10210Wabash College$65,605Observed 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 rangeEditors$77,920 median wage91,690 jobs nationwide-1.1% projected growth through 2035 · 7,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$41,250–$153,700 typical wage rangeWriters and Authors$76,910 median wage47,940 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 11,900 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$44,310–$139,870 typical wage rangePostsecondary Teachers, All Other$77,640 median wage149,840 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 12,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$44,300–$160,700 typical wage rangeTechnical Writers$90,390 median wage45,500 jobs nationwide+0.8% projected growth through 2035 · 3,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$57,440–$145,270 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.
NY15 programs$48,248 average earningsMI11 programs$42,740 average earningsOH10 programs$44,363 average earningsCA9 programs$47,298 average earningsTX8 programs$54,629 average earningsPA8 programs$53,922 average earningsIL7 programs$43,725 average earningsWA6 programs$45,640 average earningsVA5 programs$59,836 average earningsMN5 programs$59,501 average earningsIN5 programs$49,255 average earnings
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.