---

Applied Linguistics

Types of Degrees Applied Linguistics Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Applied Linguistics may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2
Bachelor’s Degree	53
Master’s Degree	127
Doctor’s Degree	15

What Applied Linguistics Majors Need to Know

Studies in Applied Linguistics build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Applied Linguistics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Applied Linguistics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Foreign Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 2.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Applied Linguistics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Applied Linguistics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Applied Linguistics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	3.9 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.7 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Applied Linguistics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
QuarkXPress	Desktop publishing software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Applied Linguistics graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Languages Professor
• Spanish Instructor
• Professor
• Language Instructor
• Spanish Literature Professor
• Foreign Languages Professor
• Arabic Teacher
• Italian Teacher
• Instructor
• Spanish Language Lecturer
• Russian Language Professor
• Hebrew Professor
• Swahili Teacher
• College Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Applied Linguistics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	44.6%
Bachelor’s degree	26.8%
Master’s degree	21.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.7%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
Postsecondary certificate	0.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Applied Linguistics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 70.1% of Applied Linguistics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	138	70.1%
Men	59	29.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Applied Linguistics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	90	45.7%
Asian	11	5.6%
Hispanic or Latino	35	17.8%
Black or African American	8	4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	1.5%
Two or More Races	9	4.6%
Race Unknown	8	4.1%
International Students	33	16.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Applied Linguistics Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Applied Linguistics 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	$28,314
4 years	$43,990
5 years	$52,123

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,123 — roughly 84% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Applied Linguistics Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Applied Linguistics. 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	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 Applied Linguistics Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Applied Linguistics graduates earn a median of $43,990 four years after completion — roughly 16% 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
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services	16.01
Comparative Literature	16.0104
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General	16.0101
Language Interpretation and Translation	16.0103
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other	16.0199
Linguistics	16.0102
African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.0201
Albanian Language and Literature	16.0404
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1001
American Sign Language (ASL)	16.1601
Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1103
Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature	16.1202

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.