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General Classical Languages

Types of Degrees General Classical Languages Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	959
Master’s Degree	166
Doctor’s Degree	79

What General Classical Languages Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Classical Languages 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

The skill set developed in a General Classical Languages 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 General Classical Languages 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 Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Classical Languages 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 General Classical Languages professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Audacity	Music or sound editing software	—
Computer assisted language learning CALL software	Foreign language software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Classical Languages graduates include:

• Bilingual Teacher
• Spanish Teacher
• Language Arts Teacher
• Language Teacher
• Hebrew Teacher
• Language Instructor
• Teacher
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• French Teacher
• Languages Professor
• Chinese Teacher
• Biblical Languages Professor
• Spanish Professor
• Lecturer
• College Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Classical Languages 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 General Classical Languages?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 56.7% women and 43.3% men among General Classical Languages graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	683	56.7%
Men	521	43.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	866	71.9%
Asian	71	5.9%
Hispanic or Latino	101	8.4%
Black or African American	14	1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	56	4.7%
Race Unknown	29	2.4%
International Students	64	5.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Classical Languages Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Classical Languages graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 General Classical Languages Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for General Classical Languages. 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
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 General Classical Languages Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Classical Languages 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
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.12
Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature	16.1202
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.1299
Latin Language and Literature	16.1203
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1001
American Sign Language (ASL)	16.1601
Arabic Language and Literature	16.1101
Chinese Language and Literature	16.0301
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.0399
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.0300
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General	16.0101
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.9999

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.