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Middle Eastern Semitic Languages

Types of Degrees Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Middle Eastern Semitic Languages have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2
Associate’s Degree	41
Bachelor’s Degree	270
Master’s Degree	197
Doctor’s Degree	30

What Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Majors Need to Know

Programs in Middle Eastern Semitic Languages develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Middle Eastern Semitic Languages emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 2.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Middle Eastern Semitic Languages program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Middle Eastern Semitic Languages careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Middle Eastern Semitic Languages professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
American Sign Language ASL browser	Dictionary software	—
Computer assisted language learning CALL software	Foreign language software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates include:

• Hebrew Teacher
• Language Arts Teacher
• Bilingual Teacher
• Language Teacher
• Teacher
• Spanish Teacher
• French Teacher
• Language Instructor
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Foreign Languages Professor
• Lecturer
• Foreign Language Instructor
• Russian Language Professor
• Arabic Instructor
• Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	36.3%
Doctoral degree	36.2%
Master’s degree	18.3%
Post-master’s certificate	2.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.5%
Postsecondary certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Middle Eastern Semitic Languages?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.8% women and 46.2% men among Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	291	53.8%
Men	250	46.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	350	64.7%
Asian	19	3.5%
Hispanic or Latino	35	6.5%
Black or African American	17	3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.4%
Two or More Races	27	5.0%
Race Unknown	33	6.1%
International Students	57	10.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Middle Eastern Semitic Languages 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	$48,355
4 years	$57,980
5 years	$73,123

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $73,123 — roughly 51% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Middle Eastern Semitic 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
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	3	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 Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates earn a median of $57,980 four years after completion — roughly 53% 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
Foreign Languages Linguistics	16
African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.02
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.10
American Sign Language	16.16
Armenian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.18
Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.13
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.12
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.03
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.99
FOREIGN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND LINGUISTICS	16.00
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.05
Iranian/Persian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.08

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.