Englishat College of the Holy Cross
Graduates earn $43,362/yr in their first year — about 43.0% above the national English average. Base-case 10-year earnings $695K; scenarios range from $601K to $726K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at College of the Holy Cross
Your decision to consider English at Holy Cross places you among graduates who significantly outperform national averages for this major. This isn't just about what you study, but *where* you study it. As a selective liberal arts institution, Holy Cross instills a rigorous analytical and communication toolkit, highly prized by employers across diverse sectors, not just traditional English roles.
The college's reputation and its strong alumni network, particularly within the competitive Northeast corridor, are crucial. Graduates often find pathways into fields like finance, consulting, marketing, and law, where their superior critical thinking, writing, and presentation skills are paramount and command higher starting salaries. You'll find alumni thriving in Boston's bustling professional landscape, not solely in roles listed as typical for the major. To maximize your outcome, actively pursue internships in fields that interest you, network extensively with alumni, and articulate how your English degree equips you for complex problem-solving and persuasive communication in any professional setting.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to College of the Holy Cross's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering English
How College of the Holy Cross stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at College of the Holy Cross
Other highest-scoring programs offered at College of the Holy Cross, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in English offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare English trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about English at College of the Holy Cross
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for English at College of the Holy Cross?
A score of 42/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for English. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace English careers?
With 61% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $601,300 in decade earnings vs $726,044 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.
What makes College of the Holy Cross's English program stand out?
Ranked #21 of 493 programs nationally, College of the Holy Cross lands in the top 5%. The ranking reflects a combination of graduate earnings, return on investment, and job market alignment.