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2025 Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree Schools

37 Colleges in the United States
1,208 Doctor's Degrees
$58,694 Avg Early-Career Salary
English Language & Literature isn't the most popular doctorate program in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #16 in popularity out of 36 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

College Factual reviewed 37 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of english language & literature. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,208 doctor's degrees in english language & literature during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great English Language & Literature School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree Schools The english language & literature doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality english language & literature program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for english language & literature students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank English Language & Literature Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More English Language & Literature Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study English Language & Literature in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in english language & literature.

10 Top Schools for a Doctorate in English Language & Literature

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in english language & literature. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from Columbia University in the City of New York

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9 Annual Graduates

University of Pennsylvania is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in english language & literature. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from University of Pennsylvania

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in english language & literature. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in english language & literature. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from University of California - Berkeley

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from Cornell University

7
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from Duke University

8
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

Michigan State is a very large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from Michigan State University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from University of Southern California

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
7 Annual Graduates

University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a doctorate in english language & literature from University of Virginia - Main Campus

English Language & Literature by Region

View the Best English Language & Literature Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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English Language & Literature Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
General English Literature 1,021
Writing Studies 147
English Literature (Other) 21
Literature 19

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 3,781
Theology & Religious Vocations 2,700
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 1,041
History 757
Philosophy & Religious Studies 657
Communication & Journalism 605
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 420
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 278
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 108

Notes and References

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