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College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best English Language & Literature Master's Degree Schools

176 Colleges in the United States
8,374 Master's Degrees
$44,115 Avg Early-Career Salary
English Language & Literature isn't the most popular master's program in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #17 in popularity out of 37 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

College Factual reviewed 176 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of english language & literature. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,374 master's degrees in english language & literature during the <nil> academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best English Language & Literature Master's Degree Schools The english language & literature master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master'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

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.

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Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study English Language & Literature in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in english language & literature. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in English Language & Literature

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Annual Graduates

Johns Hopkins University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in english language & literature. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Johns Hopkins University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
28 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in english language & literature has to take a look at Northwestern University. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Northwestern University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
161 Annual Graduates

Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in english language & literature. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Columbia University in the City of New York

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Washington - Seattle Campus if you wish to pursue a master's degree in english language & literature. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

5
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
21 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Georgetown University

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Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Annual Graduates

Located in the distant town of Middlebury, Middlebury is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Middlebury College

7
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Annual Graduates

Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Boston University

8
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
25 Annual Graduates

Boston College is a large private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chestnut Hill.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Boston College

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from The University of Texas at Austin

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from University of Virginia - Main Campus

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Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Indiana University - Bloomington

12
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Florida State University

13
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Bethlehem, Lehigh is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Lehigh University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from University of California - San Diego

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from University of Arizona

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Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
26 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Providence, Brown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Brown University

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Annual Graduates

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from University of California - Irvine

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Annual Graduates

BGSU is a fairly large public university located in the fringe town of Bowling Green.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Vestal, Binghamton University is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Binghamton University

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Purdue University - Main Campus

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Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

Syracuse is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Syracuse University

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

Rutgers New Brunswick is a very large public university located in the city of New Brunswick.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Annual Graduates

CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the city of Long Beach.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from California State University - Long Beach

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from University of Rochester

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
45 Annual Graduates

GMU is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Fairfax.More information about a master’s in english language & literature from George Mason University

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Rest of the Top Best English Language & Literature Master's Degree Schools

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31
Bennington crest
Bennington College
Bennington, VT
32
Auburn crest
Auburn University
Auburn, AL

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best English Language & Literature Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
36 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
37 Emerson College Boston, MA
38 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
39 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
40 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
41 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
42 Iowa State University Ames, IA
43 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
44 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY
45 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
46 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
47 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
48 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
49 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
50 Arcadia University Glenside, PA
51 Ball State University Muncie, IN
52 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
53 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
54 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
55 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
56 Boise State University Boise, ID
57 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
58 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
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English Language & Literature by Region

View the Best English Language & Literature Master'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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View All Rankings >

English Language & Literature Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Writing Studies 4,160
General English Literature 3,937
English Literature (Other) 143
Literature 134
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Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 19,295
Theology & Religious Vocations 13,310
Communication & Journalism 12,991
History 3,626
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 3,059
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 2,957
Philosophy & Religious Studies 2,425
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 1,931
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 1,693

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Notes and References

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