{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"EducationalOccupationalProgram","data_version":"1.0","generated_from":"2026-10-12","license":"Free to reuse with attribution: cite \"EducationGuide.com\" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/shepherd-university/majors/english","ids":{"ipeds_unitid":237792,"cip4":"23.01","school_slug":"shepherd-university","major_slug":"english"},"school":{"name":"Shepherd University","city":"Shepherdstown","state":"WV","control":"Public","url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/shepherd-university","data":"https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/shepherd-university.json"},"major":{"name":"English","area":"Humanities & Languages","credential":"Bachelor's degree"},"outcomes":{"median_earnings_1yr":27186,"median_earnings_4yr":38581,"median_debt":19661,"debt_to_earnings_4yr":0.51,"year":{"earnings_1yr":"Treasury AY2018-19, AY2019-20 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars","earnings_4yr":"Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars","debt":"NSLDS pooled AY2018-19, AY2019-20 cohort"},"source":"College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)"},"national":{"colleges_reporting":571,"median_earnings_4yr":48948,"median_debt":24552},"compared_with_same_major":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","state":{"geography":"WV","colleges_reporting":4,"median_earnings_4yr":39852,"difference":-1271},"us":{"colleges_reporting":571,"median_earnings_4yr":48948,"difference":-10367},"note":"State and U.S. medians are the median of each covered college's graduates in this major (4 years after graduating); a state median is published when at least 3 colleges in the state report earnings."},"value":{"calculated_by":"EducationGuide","time_to_finish":{"average_years_among_graduates":4.41,"finished_in_4_years":0.3322,"finished_within_6_years":0.4949,"cohort":590,"entering_class":"Fall 2017","source":"IPEDS Graduation Rates (bachelor's-seeking cohort)"},"baseline":{"median_earnings_high_school_graduates":32695,"geography":"WV","ages":"25-34","years":"2020-2024","respondents":2053,"description":"high school graduates ages 25-34 in WV (Census ACS 2020-2024)","source":"U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year PUMS (microdata): ages 25-34, high school diploma or GED as highest level, not enrolled, earnings > 0; EducationGuide calculation"},"earnings_used":38581,"earnings_basis":"median earnings of this major's graduates 4 years after graduating (College Scorecard field of study); school-wide net price","by_family_income":{"0-30k":{"net_price_per_year":7906,"cost_to_finish":34865,"payback_years":5.9,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"5.9 years"},"30-48k":{"net_price_per_year":7753,"cost_to_finish":34191,"payback_years":5.8,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"5.8 years"},"48-75k":{"net_price_per_year":10107,"cost_to_finish":44572,"payback_years":7.6,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"7.6 years"},"75-110k":{"net_price_per_year":14000,"cost_to_finish":61740,"payback_years":10.5,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"10.5 years"},"110k+":{"net_price_per_year":15866,"cost_to_finish":69969,"payback_years":11.9,"payback_status":"ok","payback_text":"11.9 years"}},"method":"cost_to_finish = max(0, net price per year) x average years graduates took; payback_years = cost_to_finish / (earnings_used - baseline), one decimal; status over_cap above 20 years, no_premium when earnings do not exceed the baseline. 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In-state net price for public colleges.","method_url":"https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value"},"state_rank":{"rank":4,"of":4,"by":"median earnings 4 years after graduating"},"state_comparison":[{"ipeds_unitid":238032,"name":"West Virginia University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":41920,"median_debt":21250,"net_price_average":15634,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.647,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/west-virginia-university/majors/english"},{"ipeds_unitid":237899,"name":"West Virginia State University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":40303,"median_debt":null,"net_price_average":11139,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.392,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/west-virginia-state-university"},{"ipeds_unitid":237525,"name":"Marshall University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":39402,"median_debt":27000,"net_price_average":7502,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.512,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/marshall-university/majors/english"},{"ipeds_unitid":237792,"name":"Shepherd University","mostly_two_year":false,"median_earnings_4yr":38581,"median_debt":19661,"net_price_average":11363,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.51,"url":"https://educationguide.com/colleges/shepherd-university/majors/english"}],"careers":[{"soc":"25-2031","title":"Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education","median_wage_metro":80300,"metro":"Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV","median_wage_state":56610,"median_wage_us":72040,"us_job_growth_2025_2035_pct":-0.2,"typical_entry_education":"Bachelor's degree","source":"BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35"},{"soc":"43-9081","title":"Proofreaders and Copy Markers","median_wage_metro":55360,"metro":"Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV","median_wage_state":36730,"median_wage_us":51120,"us_job_growth_2025_2035_pct":-0.9,"typical_entry_education":"Bachelor's degree","source":"BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35"}],"school_context":{"net_price_average":11363,"net_price_by_family_income":{"0-30k":7906,"30-48k":7753,"48-75k":10107,"75-110k":14000,"110k+":15866},"acceptance_rate":0.968,"graduation_rate_6yr":0.51,"year":{"net_price":"AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25"}},"methodology":"https://educationguide.com/how-we-score"}