Literature at American University

American University's Literature program starts with earnings that trail the national median but shows strong momentum—graduates see their income nearly double by year four, reaching $41,343. That growth trajectory matters, especially considering the program performs at the 60th percentile among DC literature programs (though admittedly, DC has limited comparison points for this field).

The debt picture is reasonable at $26,105, roughly in line with what literature majors typically carry nationwide. The 1.13 debt-to-earnings ratio looks challenging in year one, but by year four, graduates are earning well above their debt load. Literature isn't known for high starting salaries anywhere—the national median is just $23,868—so American's outcomes are competitive with peer programs, even if the first year feels tight financially.

The critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, making it less reliable than programs with larger cohorts. Individual career paths can skew small samples significantly. Still, if your child is committed to literary study and values American's DC location for internship access in publishing, media, or government writing, the combination of manageable debt and strong earnings growth suggests the program can support a viable career path—just expect those first couple years to require careful budgeting.