English Language and Literature at St. Mary's University

St. Mary's English program shows surprisingly strong outcomes given the small sample size—graduates earn $39,752 in year one, placing them in the 95th percentile nationally and well above the typical English graduate who earns around $30,000. However, that impressive national ranking looks more modest when considering just Texas schools, where these earnings land at the 60th percentile, suggesting that Texas English graduates generally fare better than the national average.

The $26,000 debt load is higher than the Texas median of $21,500 but manageable relative to earnings, with a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.65. More encouraging: earnings grow to $47,033 by year four, an 18% increase that rivals some of the state's top English programs. That puts St. Mary's graduates within striking distance of Southern Methodist University outcomes, at a likely lower tuition cost.

The caveat here matters: with fewer than 30 graduates in this data set, a few high earners could be skewing the picture dramatically. These numbers might not reflect what the typical student experiences. But if they hold true for your child, this program offers a relatively affordable path to above-average English degree outcomes—just understand you're making a decision with limited visibility into how consistent these results really are.