Find a Job You Really Want In
You know there are a ton of great reasons to major in english — the job prospects, the intellectual challenge, and the chance to follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest thinkers of all time.
But what program in Maryland offers the most to would be English majors?
We at Zippia decided to take a look at the data on the 101 institutions of higher learning in the Old Line State to determine which programs offer the best career opportunities for English majors.
After the dust settled, we’re left with this set of the top colleges for English majors in Maryland:
- University Of Maryland-College Park
- Johns Hopkins University
- University Of Baltimore
- University Of Maryland-Baltimore County
- Towson University
- St Mary’s College Of Maryland
- Bowie State University
- Salisbury University
- Notre Dame Of Maryland University
- Loyola University Maryland
If you go to one of these schools, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you — keep reading and we’ll get to just why these schools have some of the best English programs the Old Line State has to offer.
How We Determined The Best English Schools In Maryland
English is, at its core, the study of language and theory. When it comes to identifying the best English schools we wanted to approach the ranking like English major would, by looking at data on how schools perform and comparing them to one another.
What better way to optimize your choice?
So with that mind, we looked at the following data from the NCES (National Center For Education Statistics) and College Scorecard data from ED.gov to understand what english department offer the best career opportunities:
- Career Results
- Mean Earnings After 6 Years
- Mean Earnings After 10 Years
- Ratio of people working to not working after 10 years
- English Emphasis
- Percentage of Graduating Class That Are English Majors (Larger the better)
- School Performance
- Admissions Rate (More selective the better)
- Graduation Rate
- Average Cost Of Attendance (Lower is better)
- Average amount of debt
It’s hard to argue with a selective school that features English and produces strong earning potential for your career.
After we had this data, we looked at the 101 institutions of higher learning in Maryland. We then ranked each of these schools for each of the criteria above with 1 being the best in any given criteria.
Next, we averaged the ranks for each school to create an “English Quality Index”. The school with the best score on the “English Quality Index”, University of Maryland-College Park, earned the distinction of being the ‘Best College For English’ in Maryland.
1. University Of Maryland-College Park
Enrollment: 37,610
The flagship university for the state of Maryland has some impressive numbers when you look at its English department. It’s surprisingly the 3rd-hardest English department to be accepted into, which is a sign of greatness. College Park also has the 3rd-highest graduation rate and grads command the 3rd-highest salaries of all English majors in the state.
Plus, seeing as how the school is huge, there’s a great opportunity to be around a lot of other English geeks and to network after graduation.
2. Johns Hopkins University
Enrollment: 12,262
It was close, but Johns Hopkins just falls behind College Park by a hair. But keep this in mind – Johns Hopkins has the highest graduation rate in the state, and is the hardest (by far) to get into. And, Johns Hopkins English majors are the highest paid in the state as well.
3. University Of Baltimore
Enrollment: 3,485
For a lot more up close and personal attention, there’s the University of Baltimore, which gets high marks for low student debt and the 3rd-highest salaries for English majors 6 years after graduation.
Plus, the percentage of English majors still working in their field 10 years after graduation is the 5th-highest in Maryland.
4. University Of Maryland-Baltimore County
Enrollment: 11,379
UMBC has one of the easiest English departments to get into (which some students would say is a good thing), but average student debt is below average, and English grads from UMBC command the 5th-highest salaries in the state.
5. Towson University
Enrollment: 22,284
People outside of the state of Maryland may not be aware of Towson, but this gem has a stellar English department, where students leave with the 2nd-lowest amount of student debt, and then go on to earn above-average salaries, even a decade after graduation.
6. St Mary’s College Of Maryland
Enrollment: 1,688
It doesn’t get much more up, close and personal than at little St. Mary’s College, which packs a punch when it comes to English department statistics. The graduation rate here is the 4th-highest of all Maryland English departments. Plus, its English department is the largest department on campus.
7. Bowie State University
Enrollment: 5,561
Bowie State is the 2nd-least expensive program to attend, and it’s the 4th hardest English department to get accepted into. Which means if you’re lucky enough to get in here, you’ll get a great education for a great price.
8. Salisbury University
Enrollment: 8,6557
English students at SU get a trifecta of good news, including above average graduation rates, below average costs and being part of a program that’s the 6th-hardest to be accepted into in all of Maryland.
9. Notre Dame Of Maryland University
Enrollment: 2,982
Believe it or not, but NDM graduates command the 5th-highest salaries once they leave the English program. That’s good news for those who can get in; this is the 5th most exclusive department in the state.
10. Loyola University Maryland
Enrollment: 4,084
This Baltimore campus has the 2nd-highest graduation rate in the state, and people who graduate with an English degree from Loyola go on to earn the 2nd-highest salaries in Maryland.
Detailed List Of The Best Schools For English Majors In Maryland
| City | Rank |
|---|---|
| University Of Maryland-College Park | 1 |
| Johns Hopkins University | 2 |
| University Of Baltimore | 3 |
| University Of Maryland-Baltimore County | 4 |
| Towson University | 5 |
| St Mary’S College Of Maryland | 6 |
| Bowie State University | 7 |
| Salisbury University | 8 |
| Notre Dame Of Maryland University | 9 |
| Loyola University Maryland | 10 |
| Coppin State University | 11 |
| Washington Adventist University | 12 |
| Mount St Mary’S University | 13 |
| Frostburg State University | 14 |
| University Of Maryland Eastern Shore | 15 |
| Stevenson University | 16 |
| Washington College | 17 |
| Hood College | 18 |
| Mcdaniel College | 19 |
| Morgan State University | 20 |
| Goucher College | 21 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
