Rhetoric & Writingat The University of Texas at Arlington
Graduates earn $37,883/yr in their first year — about 28.0% above the national Rhetoric & Writing average. Base-case 10-year earnings $612K; scenarios range from $543K to $632K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UT Arlington
The strong performance of UT Arlington's Rhetoric and Composition program reflects its strategic location within the booming Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. This region is a major hub for defense, aerospace, tech, and healthcare, all sectors with high demand for skilled communicators and technical writers who can translate complex information into clear, usable content. Your education here likely provides a practical grounding, preparing you to step directly into these corporate and industrial roles right in your backyard, feeding into established recruiting pipelines with companies like Lockheed Martin or Texas Instruments.
While the data flags a very high AI risk, this isn't a death knell for the field, but a transformation. AI tools are becoming powerful assistants, handling repetitive tasks. This means your value will increasingly lie in human-centric skills: critical thinking, content strategy, ethical communication, audience analysis, and prompt engineering to guide AI effectively. Focus on internships that expose you to real-world content workflows and emerging AI integration to build an indispensable skillset.
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 UT Arlington'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 Rhetoric & Writing
How UT Arlington stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UT Arlington
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UT Arlington, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Rhetoric & Writing offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Rhetoric & Writing trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Rhetoric & Writing at UT Arlington
How does The University of Texas at Arlington's Rhetoric & Writing program score?
This program scores 47/100 — on the lower end for Rhetoric & Writing. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.
How vulnerable is Rhetoric & Writing to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Rhetoric & Writing careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 62% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Why does The University of Texas at Arlington rank so high for Rhetoric & Writing?
The #6 ranking out of 121 programs is driven by strong financial outcomes — graduates earn well, debt is manageable relative to income, and the job market supports the field.