English Language and Literature at Eastern Kentucky University

That $20,091 first-year salary should raise immediate concerns—it lands this program in the bottom 5% nationally for English majors and trails the Kentucky median by nearly $7,000. Even accounting for the small sample size (under 30 graduates), this figure is roughly what someone might earn working retail full-time, not what you'd expect after four years of college and nearly $24,000 in debt. Compare this to Bellarmine's English graduates earning $32,000 or even Western Kentucky's $28,000, and the gap becomes harder to justify.

The debt load itself isn't unusual for Kentucky English programs, but paired with such low earnings, it creates a problem: graduates owe more than they earn in their entire first year. While English majors often take time to build careers in fields like education, publishing, or communications, starting this far behind peers at other Kentucky schools means playing catch-up for years. The small sample does mean these numbers could shift with future cohorts, but right now they suggest graduates are struggling to convert their degree into stable employment.

If your child is set on studying English in Kentucky, this data suggests looking elsewhere in the state system. Multiple alternatives offer similar accessibility and debt loads while delivering significantly better early career outcomes.