Wheaton College Has One of the Best English Programs in the U.S., according to College Factual

With the #34 spot in a ranking of 603 programs in the nation, Wheaton College has one of the best English programs in the U.S., according to College Factual’s “Best English Schools for the Money” ranking. The English program moved up 25 slots from last year’s ranking—placing it in the top 10% of all programs in the country.

College Factual used three metrics to order the 603 schools in the “Best English Schools for the Money” ranking: the average yearly cost of the school, the average time students take to graduate, and the quality the school provides to students.

In addition to Wheaton’s #34 national ranking, it also took the #3 spot for “Best for the Money English Programs in Illinois.”

“These high rankings can be attributed to Wheaton College’s commitment to the liberal arts education, and our English department is at the crossroads of the liberal arts,” said Wheaton College English Department Chair Dr. Tom Martin. “In our classrooms, we’re always doing a little history and philosophy, some cultural theory, a certain amount of sociology, and psychology. Sometimes I ask my students: ‘Who was the better psychologist? Sigmund Freud or Shakespeare?’”

This holistic education is coupled with a low student-to-teacher ratio and a high number of faculty office hours. At Wheaton, Martin said, even entry-level classes are taught by professors—not by graduate student teaching assistants, as is often the case at other colleges.

“At Wheaton, English students are almost apprenticed,” Martin said. “They’re learning at the elbows of experts in their field.”

“Wheaton College is unparalleled when it comes to affordability for the quality and caliber of education we provide,” said Chief Enrollment Officer Silvio Vazquez. “College Factual’s ranking demonstrates our high level of commitment to the liberal arts, and in this case, highlights our exceptional department of English and offerings for our gifted students here at Wheaton.”

“Not only are our students learning about literature, creative writing and rhetoric, they’re also getting exposure to great tradition of wisdom that comes from our commitment to spiritual and personal character formation,” Martin said. “It comes as no surprise to me that our students do so well when they go out into the world.”

Learn more about Wheaton College’s English Department here.