English Language and Literature at Drury University

Drury's English program sits near the middle of Missouri's options—landing at the 40th percentile statewide—but falls short of the national median by nearly $4,000 in first-year earnings. While the $26,057 starting salary translates to a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.01, it's worth noting that Missouri's flagship campus in Columbia and even Truman State both produce English grads earning $3,000-$4,000 more annually. The 29% earnings growth to $33,493 by year four is solid, suggesting graduates do build career momentum after that challenging first year.

The real limitation here is the small sample size—fewer than 30 graduates reported earnings, which means one or two outliers could significantly skew these numbers either direction. For a family considering this program, that uncertainty matters. The debt load of $26,215 is roughly typical for English majors nationwide, but when paired with below-average starting earnings, it means your graduate may be managing loan payments on a tighter budget than peers at Missouri's larger universities.

If your child is drawn to Drury's small-college environment and personalized attention, understand they're likely trading some earning potential for that experience. The program isn't dramatically underperforming, but neither is it positioning graduates ahead of the pack in Missouri's English job market.