Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies programs in California
28 schools in California teach this, at certificate or associate level. The Department of Education publishes earnings for none of them, so the figures below are what the occupation itself pays.
What this work pays in California
Postsecondary Teachers, All Other in California earn a median of $100,690 a year across 37,770 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in California |
|---|---|---|
| Editors | $98,030 | 14,830 |
| Writers and Authors | $86,480 | 8,390 |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | $130,490 | 5,460 |
| Technical Writers | $104,000 | 5,280 |
| Proofreaders and Copy Markers | $57,490 | 300 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American River College Sacramento | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| American River College Sacramento | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Berkeley City College Berkeley | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Berkeley City College Berkeley | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Cerritos College Norwalk | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Cerritos College Norwalk | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Chabot College Hayward | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| City College of San Francisco San Francisco | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| College of Alameda Alameda | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Cypress College Cypress | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| De Anza College Cupertino | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Foothill College Los Altos Hills | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Grossmont College El Cajon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Grossmont College El Cajon | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| La Sierra University Riverside | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Laney College Oakland | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Las Positas College Livermore | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Long Beach City College Long Beach | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Merritt College Oakland | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Monterey Peninsula College Monterey | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Monterey Peninsula College Monterey | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| National University San Diego | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Orange Coast College Costa Mesa | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
| Reedley College Reedley | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Rio Hondo College Whittier | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Saddleback College Mission Viejo | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| San Diego State University San Diego | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.