“Return on investment” might not seem like a term to be used in reference to an English department, but as college tuitions increase, it’s an important consideration for students.

And the UO Department of English scores high for value.

UO English is among the top 20 English and humanities programs in the United States for students’ “return on investment,” according to AffordableCollegesOnline.org and PayScale.com.

Online tools such as AC Online, PayScale.com, and the U.S. Department of Education help students who take out loans to pay for college evaluate the cost of their education in relation to graduate earnings.

AC Online’s criteria included total weighted cost and 30-year net ROI for four-year, fully accredited institutions that offer English and humanities at the undergraduate level.

The UO English department was joined on the list by departments at institutions including Harvard, Boston College and the University of North Carolina.

“Graduates from these schools enjoy the largest earnings gap between non-degree holders over 30 years, and earn more on average than English and humanities graduates from other schools,” AC Online said, in a press release announcing the rankings.

In the humanities program at the UO, students can design their own individualized, cross-disciplinary program of study with humanities-focused curriculum, guided by a faculty advisor. The undergraduate English major focuses on British, American, and Anglophone literature and merges various other disciplines to weave cross-cultural and comprehensive theories and methods into the curriculum.

- from the UO Department of English