English Language and Literature at Southern Methodist University

SMU English graduates start at $47,019—nearly 60% above the national median for English majors and well above Texas averages. Among Texas English programs, this ranks in the 80th percentile, trailing only a few schools like University of Houston-Clear Lake. More impressively, earnings jump 40% by year four to reach $65,722, suggesting SMU's network and Dallas location create meaningful career acceleration that most English programs don't deliver.

The $19,500 debt load sits below both state and national medians, yielding a 0.41 debt-to-earnings ratio that's manageable even on humanities wages. That's roughly five months of gross salary—very reasonable for a degree from a selective private university. The real concern here is the sample size: fewer than 30 recent graduates means one exceptional cohort or a couple of law school admissions could skew these numbers significantly.

If your child genuinely wants to study English, SMU appears to be one of the few programs where it's not a financial sacrifice. The combination of strong starting salaries, robust earnings growth, and modest debt suggests the degree opens doors beyond typical English grad outcomes. Just recognize these numbers may not hold perfectly across future cohorts given the limited data.