German Language

Types of Degrees German Language Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many german language & literature graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	676
Master’s Degree	87
Basic Certificate	79
Doctor’s Degree	38
Associate Degree	13
Undergraduate Certificate	11
Graduate Certificate	4

What German Language Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, german language majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for German Language Majors

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

• 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.
• 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.
• Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Skills for German Language Majors

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

• 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 Language Majors

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

• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• 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 German Language Major?

People with a german language 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

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in German Language?

Roughly 54% of the graduates are women, and 46% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	19
Black or African American	18
Hispanic or Latino	35
White	521
International Students	24
Other Races/Ethnicities	59

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in German Language. About 3.6% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to German Language

Some careers associated with german language require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for german language careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
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)	0.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	30.1%
Master’s Degree	21.7%
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	37.8%

Online German Language Programs

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)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	15	0
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	58	0
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	32	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to German Language

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

Major	Number of Grads
Germanic Languages, Literatures, & Linguistics, General	158
Norwegian Language & Literature	13
Germanic Languages, Literatures, & Linguistics, Other	9
Sc&inavian Languages, Literatures, & Linguistics	7
Swedish Language & Literature	3
Danish Language & Literature	0
Dutch/Flemish Language & Literature	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.