Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies Degrees (2026 stats)
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies maps to BLS occupations averaging about $135,756, with roughly 2,930 workers nationwide in those roles. About 5,449 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; median program completion runs near 61%.
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies: what the data shows
Common questions about rhetoric and composition/writing studies degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a rhetoric and composition/writing studies degree?
A Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies program is classified under NCES CIP 23.1300 in the Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies field family (00.23).
IPEDS counted 5,449 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of rhetoric and composition/writing studies degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.23 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Creative Writing (CIP 00.2305)
- Literature (CIP 00.2314)
How long does it take to get a rhetoric and composition/writing studies degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 23.1300 in our file:
- 89 Bachelor's (20.2% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 351 Master's (79.6% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 1 Doctorate (0.2% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in rhetoric and composition/writing studies?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Instructing, Speaking, Active Learning, Active Listening, Learning Strategies, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What jobs can you get with a rhetoric and composition/writing studies degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 11,430 | $84,290 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 12,680 | $75,890 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a rhetoric and composition/writing studies degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies bachelor's program family: median debt $30,692, median earnings $48,471 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.08.
About 6.2% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $8,798 and median net price is $18,467.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$8,798 Median In-State Public
$40,290 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies majors are, on average, $8,798 for in-state public colleges, and $40,290 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
5,449 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 156,755 |
| 2 | University of Phoenix-Arizona | AZ | 76,996 |
| 3 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 68,619 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 5 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,095 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haskell Indian Nations University | KS | $600 |
| 2 | Compton College | CA | $1,142 |
| 3 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 4 | College of Alameda | CA | $1,148 |
| 5 | Laney College | CA | $1,148 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coastal Pines Technical College | GA | $124 |
| 2 | Cerritos College | CA | $693 |
| 3 | Southern Regional Technical College | GA | $1,085 |
| 4 | Wiregrass Georgia Technical College | GA | $1,228 |
| 5 | Georgia Northwestern Technical College | GA | $1,432 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies programs.
Graduation Rates
61.44% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
61.34% Average Graduation Rate
124 Institutions Reporting
51.18% - 72.20% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.23 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Creative Writing CIP 00.2305
- Literature CIP 00.2314
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 23.1300 in the survey year used in our extract (441 total across levels below).
- 89 Bachelor's (20.2% of IPEDS total)
- 351 Master's (79.6% of IPEDS total)
- 1 Doctorate (0.2% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $135,756. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | $129,630 | 11,430 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | $141,278 | 12,680 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies CIP family (32 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies graduate.
- $30,692 median federal loan debt among completers
- $48,471 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.08 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 6.2% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$137,183 Average wage, mapped occupations (OEWS)
Occupations mapped to Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies average $137,183 a year in the BLS OEWS extract.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies majors.
Occupations by Share
2,930 2023 Workforce
The number of Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies.
Age distribution for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies majors.
About
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
In 2023, 5,449 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies.
CIP Code
23.1300 - Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $30,692 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $48,471, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.08. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies graduate.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $135,756. The largest mapped role by headcount is Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary (11,430 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $8,798 in-state at public colleges and $40,290 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.