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Classical Languages & Literature

Types of Degrees Classical Languages & Literature Majors Are Earning

Those studying Classical Languages & Literature may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	1,064
Master’s Degree	239
Doctor’s Degree	79

What Classical Languages & Literature Majors Need to Know

Programs in Classical Languages & Literature emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Classical Languages & Literature graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Classical Languages & Literature emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Classical Languages & Literature program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Classical Languages & Literature careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Classical Languages & Literature graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Classical Languages & Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Classical Languages & Literature graduates include:

• Bilingual Teacher
• Language Instructor
• French Teacher
• Language Teacher
• Language Arts Teacher
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Spanish Teacher
• Teacher
• Hebrew Teacher
• Russian Language Professor
• Spanish Literature Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Greek Professor
• Modern Languages Professor
• Arabic Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Classical Languages & Literature graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	45.2%
Doctoral degree	28.2%
Master’s degree	15.1%
Post-master’s certificate	3.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.0%
Postsecondary certificate	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Classical Languages & Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 56.2% women and 43.8% men among Classical Languages & Literature graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	779	56.2%
Men	606	43.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Classical Languages & Literature graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,001	72.3%
Asian	80	5.8%
Hispanic or Latino	111	8.0%
Black or African American	16	1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	60	4.3%
Race Unknown	40	2.9%
International Students	74	5.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Classical Languages & Literature Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Classical Languages & Literature graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
4 years	$39,272
5 years	$47,653

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Classical Languages & Literature Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Classical Languages & Literature. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	3
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Classical Languages & Literature Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Classical Languages & Literature graduates earn a median of $39,272 four years after completion — roughly 3% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Foreign Languages Linguistics	16
African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.02
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.10
American Sign Language	16.16
Armenian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.18
Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.13
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.03
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.99
FOREIGN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND LINGUISTICS	16.00
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.05
Iranian/Persian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.08
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services	16.01

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.