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Latin Language & Literature

Types of Degrees Latin Language & Literature Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Latin Language & Literature can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	41
Master’s Degree	10

What Latin Language & Literature Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Latin Language & Literature develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Latin Language & Literature graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Latin Language & 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 Latin Language & 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

Innate abilities most relevant to Latin Language & 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 Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Latin Language & 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 Latin Language & Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation 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	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Latin Language & Literature graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Latin Language & 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 Latin Language & Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 50% women and 50% men among Latin Language & Literature graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	27	50.0%
Men	27	50.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	37	68.5%
Asian	1	1.9%
Hispanic or Latino	2	3.7%
Black or African American	1	1.9%
Two or More Races	1	1.9%
Race Unknown	7	13.0%
International Students	5	9.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Latin Language & Literature Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Latin Language & Literature graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 Latin Language & Literature Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Latin Language & 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
Master’s	1	1

^{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 Latin Language & Literature Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Latin Language & 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
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
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1200
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.