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Modern Languages

Types of Degrees Modern Languages Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Modern Languages can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	279
Bachelor’s Degree	1,820
Master’s Degree	264
Doctor’s Degree	19

What Modern Languages Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Modern Languages 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 Modern Languages 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

Abilities most relevant to Modern Languages 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, Modern Languages 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 Modern Languages professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing 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	—
Adobe PageMaker	Desktop publishing software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Modern Languages graduates include:

• Teacher
• Bilingual Teacher
• Language Instructor
• Language Teacher
• Spanish Teacher
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Language Arts Teacher
• French Teacher
• Hebrew Teacher
• Swahili Teacher
• French Professor
• Spanish Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Chinese Teacher
• Modern Languages Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Modern Languages 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 Modern Languages?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 70.2% of Modern Languages degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,682	70.2%
Men	714	29.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,211	50.5%
Asian	89	3.7%
Hispanic or Latino	659	27.5%
Black or African American	151	6.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.1%
Two or More Races	137	5.7%
Race Unknown	51	2.1%
International Students	90	3.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Modern Languages Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Modern Languages graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 Modern Languages Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Modern Languages. 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
Associate’s	11	7
Bachelor’s	2	2
Master’s	1	2

^{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 Modern Languages Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Modern Languages 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
Applied Linguistics	16.0105
Comparative Literature	16.0104
Language Interpretation and Translation	16.0103
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other	16.0199
Linguistics	16.0102
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
Chinese Language and Literature	16.0301
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.1299

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.