Germanic Languages

Types of Degrees Germanic Languages Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many Germanic languages graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,077
Basic Certificate	170
Master’s Degree	88
Doctor’s Degree	55
Associate Degree	24
Graduate Certificate	6
Undergraduate Certificate	5

What Germanic Languages Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to German were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for German Majors

German majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for German Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to German:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for German Majors

German majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Germanic Languages Major?

People with a German degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Foreign Language and Literature Professors	11.7%	$67,640
Interpreters and Translators	17.7%	$49,930
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Germanic Languages?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 1,077 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Germanic languages in 2021, making it rank #162 in popularity. This major is dominated by women with about 57% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of German majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	33
Black or African American	19
Hispanic or Latino	81
White	834
International Students	37
Other Races/Ethnicities	73

Geographic Diversity

German appeals to people across the globe. About 3.4% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Germany
• China
• Austria
• United Kingdom
• Canada

How Much Do Germanic Languages Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that Germanic languages students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree made a median starting salary of $69,870 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $34,643 (25th percentile) and $69,870 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to German.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $55,230 to $79,160 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to German. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Germanic Languages

Some degrees associated with German may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to German have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.3%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	41.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	7.2%
Master’s Degree	23.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	4.3%
Doctoral Degree	21.5%

Online Germanic Languages Programs

In 2020-2021, 365 schools offered a German program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	18	0
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	75	0
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	46	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Germanic Languages Worth It?

The median salary for a German grad is $64,340 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 61% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $488,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Germanic Languages

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to German.

Major	Number of Grads
Romance Languages	15,009
Linguistics & Comparative Literature	8,539
American Sign Language	2,724
East Asian Languages	2,293
Classical Languages & Literature	1,428
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages	607
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages	607
Foreign Language, Literature & Linguistics (Other)	500
Second Language Learning	108
Southeast Asian & Pacific Languages	38
South Asian Languages	24
Native American Languages	16
Iranian & Persian Languages	4
Celtic Language & Literature	4
African Languages	4
Greek Language & Literature	3
Turkic & Central Asian Languages	0

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
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By fdecomite under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.