---

Germanic Languages & Literature

Types of Degrees Germanic Languages & Literature Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Germanic Languages & Literature can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	59
Master’s Degree	52
Doctor’s Degree	21

What Germanic Languages & Literature Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Germanic 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 emphasized by a Germanic 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 Germanic 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, Germanic 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 Germanic Languages & Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser 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	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Audacity	Music or sound editing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Germanic Languages & Literature graduates include:

• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• French Teacher
• Hebrew Teacher
• Teacher
• Language Arts Teacher
• Language Teacher
• Language Instructor
• Spanish Teacher
• Bilingual Teacher
• Chinese Instructor
• Bilingual Instructor
• Adjunct Spanish Instructor
• Greek Professor
• German Professor
• Spanish Literature Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Germanic 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 Germanic Languages & Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 59.8% women and 40.2% men among Germanic Languages & Literature graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	79	59.8%
Men	53	40.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	110	83.3%
Hispanic or Latino	2	1.5%
Black or African American	2	1.5%
Two or More Races	2	1.5%
Race Unknown	4	3.0%
International Students	12	9.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Germanic Languages & Literature Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Germanic 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
1 year	$46,924
4 years	$56,972
5 years	$62,456

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $62,456 — roughly 33% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in Germanic Languages & Literature Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Germanic Languages & Literature graduates earn a median of $56,972 four years after completion — roughly 50% 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
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.05
Danish Language and Literature	16.0503
Dutch/Flemish Language and Literature	16.0504
German Language and Literature	16.0501
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.0599
Norwegian Language and Literature	16.0505
Scandinavian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.0502
Swedish Language and Literature	16.0506
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1001
American Sign Language (ASL)	16.1601
Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature	16.1202
Arabic Language and Literature	16.1101

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.