Foreign Languages & Linguistics at Harvard University

If you plan to study foreign languages and linguistics, take a look at what Harvard University has to offer and decide if the program is a good match for you. Get started with the following essential facts.

Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has a total student population of 30,391. In 2021, 44 foreign languages and linguistics majors received their bachelor's degree from Harvard.

Want to know more about the career opportunities in this field? Check out the Careers in Foreign Languages & Linguistics section at the bottom of this page.

Harvard Foreign Languages & Linguistics Degrees Available

• Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Languages & Linguistics
• Master’s Degree in Foreign Languages & Linguistics
• Doctorate Degree in Foreign Languages & Linguistics

Harvard Foreign Languages & Linguistics Rankings

The following rankings from College Factual show how the foreign languages and linguistics progam at Harvard compares to programs at other colleges and universities.

Note: Rankings don't always give a complete picture of a school's strengths and weaknesses, so it's a good idea to extend your research and also look at other factors when trying to decide if the school is right for you.

Bachelor’s Degree Overall Quality & Other Notable Rankings

The foreign languages and linguistics major at Harvard is not ranked on College Factual’s Best Colleges and Universities for Foreign Languages & Linguistics. This could be for a number of reasons, such as not having enough data on the major or school to make an accurate assessment of its quality.

Ranking Type	Rank
Most Focused Foreign Languages & Linguistics Doctor’s Degree Schools	25
Most Focused Foreign Languages & Linguistics Schools	442

In 2021, 35 students received their master’s degree in foreign languages and linguistics from Harvard. This makes it the #13 most popular school for foreign languages and linguistics master’s degree candidates in the country.

There were 18 students who received their doctoral degrees in foreign languages and linguistics, making the school the #14 most popular school in the United States for this category of students.

Foreign Languages & Linguistics Student Demographics at Harvard

Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the foreign languages and linguistics majors at Harvard University.

Harvard Foreign Languages & Linguistics Bachelor’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 44 foreign languages and linguistics majors earned their bachelor's degree from Harvard. Of these graduates, 27% were men and 73% were women.

Prospective students may be interested in knowing that this school graduates 1% more racial-ethnic minorities in its foreign languages and linguistics bachelor's program than the national average.*

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's in foreign languages and linguistics.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	7
Black or African American	2
Hispanic or Latino	7
White	19
International Students	7
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

Harvard Foreign Languages & Linguistics Master’s Program

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 35 students earned a master's degree in foreign languages and linguistics from Harvard. About 51% of these graduates were women and the other 49% were men. Nationwide, master's degree programs only see 28% men graduate in foreign languages and linguistics each year. Harvard does a better job at serving the male population as it supports 20% more men than average.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Harvard University with a master's in foreign languages and linguistics.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	1
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	6
White	13
International Students	14
Other Races/Ethnicities	1

Harvard also has a doctoral program available in foreign languages and linguistics. In 2021, 18 students graduated with a doctor's degree in this field.

Concentrations Within Foreign Languages & Linguistics

If you plan to be a foreign languages and linguistics major, you may want to focus your studies on one of the following concentrations. The completion numbers here include all graduates who receive any type of degree in this field from Harvard University. Some of these focus areas may not be available for your degree level.

Concentration	Annual Degrees Awarded
Linguistics & Comparative Literature	47
Romance Languages	25
Classical Languages & Literature	13
Germanic Languages	7
Celtic Language & Literature	3
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages	1
Greek Language & Literature	1

Related Majors

• Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
• Philosophy & Religious Studies
• Theology & Religious Vocations
• English Language & Literature
• Visual & Performing Arts

Careers That Foreign Languages & Linguistics Grads May Go Into

A degree in foreign languages and linguistics can lead to the following careers. Since job numbers and average salaries can vary by geographic location, we have only included the numbers for MA, the home state for Harvard University.

Occupation	Jobs in MA	Average Salary in MA
High School Teachers	26,420	$80,020
English Language and Literature Professors	2,780	$80,450
Interpreters and Translators	2,140	$55,600
Foreign Language and Literature Professors	1,580	$84,890
Social Scientists	430	$80,210

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By Elisa.rolle under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.