Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies at The University of Tampa

The University of Tampa's Writing Studies program comes with a significant caveat: these numbers represent fewer than 30 graduates, making any assessment tentative. That said, the first-year earnings of $25,510 trail both the national median ($28,418) and land just below Florida's typical outcome for this degree. Among Florida's 11 writing programs, this ranks in the 40th percentile—essentially middle of the pack in a state where writing graduates at comparable schools like UCF earn similar amounts.

The debt picture offers some relief. At $21,000, graduates here borrow about $4,000 less than the national median and carry meaningfully less debt than many peers. The 0.82 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe roughly 10 months of their first-year salary—a manageable starting point for a field where earnings often grow with experience. Tampa's relatively low Pell Grant enrollment (16%) suggests many students have financial resources beyond loans, which may explain the more conservative borrowing.

For parents, this program's small cohort size makes it risky to treat these numbers as predictive. If your child is considering this path, the debt level won't bury them, but the early earnings fall short of what stronger Florida programs like USF deliver. The real question is whether Tampa offers other advantages—network, internships, or teaching quality—that justify accepting below-median starting outcomes in an already modest-earning field.