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Literature at American University

Washington, DC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's Degree
24 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
29
Optimistic
24
Base Case
17
Pessimistic
Earnings $23,164/yr (-1% vs median)
AI Risk Very High (69% exposed)
Job Market Medium (28,300 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Literature graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $663K $290K $145K
Earnings Multiple 2.9x 1.3x 0.6x
Viable Career Paths 3 of 3 3 of 3 2 of 3
DegreeWorth Score 29 24 17

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition
$226,172
Median Debt at Graduation
$26,105
13.5 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$51,266
121% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Literature graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 28,300 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
English language and literature teachers, postsecondary $78,270 5,100 0.0% 53%
Editors $75,260 9,800 +0.6% 65%
Writers and authors $72,270 13,400 +3.6% 89%

Compare & Explore

Literature at Other Schools

Pace University ($25,758) The New School ($25,618) University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg ($23,868) University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown ($23,868) University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus ($23,868) University of California-Los Angeles ($22,704) Bennington College ($18,152)

Other Majors at American University

Finance and Financial Management Services ($83,505) Business Administration, Management and Operations ($58,299) Economics ($58,151) Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods ($55,625) Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication ($50,026) Political Science and Government ($48,034) International Relations and National Security Studies ($47,551) Natural Resources Conservation and Research ($46,780)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Literature at American University?
This program scores 24/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 29 (optimistic) to 17 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Literature career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Literature graduates retain 3 of 3 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $145,014 (pessimistic) to $662,843 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Literature graduates?
The career paths mapped to Literature have roughly 28,300 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Literature at American University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 1.3x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 0.6x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.