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Ancient & Biblical Languages

Types of Degrees Ancient & Biblical Languages Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Ancient & Biblical Languages may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	28
Master’s Degree	39
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Ancient & Biblical Languages Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Ancient & Biblical Languages 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

The skill set built by a Ancient & Biblical Languages 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

Abilities most relevant to Ancient & Biblical Languages 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, Ancient & Biblical Languages 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 Ancient & Biblical Languages professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Skype	Desktop communications software	—
QuarkXPress	Desktop publishing software	—
American Sign Language ASL browser	Dictionary software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Ancient & Biblical Languages graduates include:

• Adjunct Spanish Instructor
• Teacher
• French Teacher
• Arabic Teacher
• Foreign Languages Professor
• German Instructor
• Program Instructor
• Bilingual Teacher
• Chinese Instructor
• Italian Teacher
• Spanish Instructor
• German Professor
• Associate Professor
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Chinese Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Ancient & Biblical Languages 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 Ancient & Biblical Languages?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 79.7% of Ancient & Biblical Languages degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	14	20.3%
Men	55	79.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	42	60.9%
Asian	2	2.9%
Hispanic or Latino	7	10.1%
Black or African American	2	2.9%
Two or More Races	2	2.9%
Race Unknown	8	11.6%
International Students	6	8.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Ancient & Biblical Languages Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Ancient & Biblical 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	$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 Ancient & Biblical Languages Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Ancient & Biblical 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
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 Ancient & Biblical Languages Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Ancient & Biblical 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
Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.11
Arabic Language and Literature	16.1101
Hebrew Language and Literature	16.1102
Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.1199
Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1100
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/Classical Greek Language and Literature	16.1202
Applied Linguistics	16.0105
Armenian Language and Literature	16.1801

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.