Literatureat University of California-Los Angeles
Graduates earn $22,704/yr in their first year — about 3.0% below the national Literature average. Base-case 10-year earnings $458K; scenarios range from $437K to $451K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UCLA
A UCLA Literature degree offers a profound intellectual foundation, but your initial career trajectory may differ from more vocationally-focused fields. The program excels at cultivating critical thinking and sophisticated communication skills, highly valued by employers, but often requiring you to translate these abilities into specific professional contexts. Many graduates leverage this prestigious degree for further education, like law school or graduate studies, which defers immediate earnings. Others enter competitive fields in Los Angeles's robust media, entertainment, and publishing industries, where early-career roles, while intellectually stimulating, might have a slower financial ramp-up. The "Very High" AI risk highlights the evolving landscape for writing and editing roles, emphasizing the need for adaptability and mastering unique human-centric skills. To maximize your potential, actively pursue internships across diverse sectors and build a strong professional network while still a student.
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 UCLA'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 Literature
How UCLA stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UCLA
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UCLA, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Consider the trade route
Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Literature offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.
Compare Literature trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →Frequently asked about Literature at UCLA
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Literature at University of California-Los Angeles?
A score of 17/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Literature. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace Literature careers?
With 69% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $437,420 in decade earnings vs $451,426 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.