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2025 Best General English Literature Schools in California

42 Colleges in California
6,594 English Degrees Awarded
$31,935 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in general english literature, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #24 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 42 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General English Literature Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 6,594 degrees in general english literature to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great General English Literature School

Best General English Literature Schools in California The english program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General English Literature rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for general english literature schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your General English Literature Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in English
Master's Degrees in English
Doctor's Degrees in English

The english school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best General English Literature Schools in California. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for General English Literature in California

The schools below may not offer all types of english degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in English

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
293 English Degrees Awarded
$27,889 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in general english literature has to check out University of California - Los Angeles. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 293 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the english program make an average of $27,889 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in general english literature from University of California - Los Angeles

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
231 English Degrees Awarded
$27,462 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in general english literature. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 231 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the english program earn an average of $27,462 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general english literature from University of California - Berkeley

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Bachelors Degree Type
BA in English Language & Literature Program Name

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More information about a degree in BA in English Language & Literature from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
153 English Degrees Awarded
0.7% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Irvine is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in general english literature. UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 153 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, english degree recipients usually make an average of $26,021 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in general english literature from University of California - Irvine

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
177 English Degrees Awarded
0.6% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Santa Barbara is a good choice for students interested in a degree in general english literature. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 177 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the english program make an average of $24,099 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in general english literature from University of California - Santa Barbara

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
198 English Degrees Awarded
$25,477 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 198 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, english degree recipients generally make around $25,477 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in general english literature from University of California - Davis

6
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 English Degrees Awarded
$30,544 Median Starting Salary

Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #10 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 41 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the english program earn around $30,544 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general english literature from Stanford University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
298 English Degrees Awarded
4.7% Growth in Graduates

CSULB is a very large public university located in the large city of Long Beach. This university ranks 36th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 298 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, english degree recipients usually earn about $24,540 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in general english literature from California State University - Long Beach

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MA in English Program Name

You can earn your MA in English entirely online with Southern New Hampshire University! This online English degree program can help you increase your analytical and communication skills.

More information about a degree in MA in English from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
63rd Most Popular In CA
41 English Degrees Awarded

USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 41 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general english literature from University of Southern California

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 English Degrees Awarded
$23,139 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 28th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 139 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the english program report average early career earnings of $23,139.

More information about a degree in general english literature from University of California - Riverside

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 English Degrees Awarded
$34,718 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were about 62 general english literature students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Those general english literature students who get their degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo receive $2,783 more than the typical english grad.

More information about a degree in general english literature from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

Best General English Literature Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General English Literature Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 512
Oregon 266 397
Nevada 192 238
Hawaii 164 111
Alaska 119 37

View All Rankings >

One of 9 majors within the English Language & Literature area of study, General English Literature has other similar majors worth exploring.

English Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
English 6,594

View All English Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Writing Studies 650
English Literature (Other) 193
Literature 29

View All English Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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