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Arabic Language & Literature

Types of Degrees Arabic Language & Literature Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Arabic Language & Literature can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2
Associate’s Degree	41
Bachelor’s Degree	173
Master’s Degree	100

What Arabic Language & Literature Majors Need to Know

Studies in Arabic Language & Literature develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Arabic Language & Literature graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Arabic Language & 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 Arabic Language & 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 Arabic Language & 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 Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Arabic Language & 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 Arabic Language & Literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite 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	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Audacity	Music or sound editing software	—
Skype	Desktop communications software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Arabic Language & Literature graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Arabic Language & 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 Arabic Language & Literature?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61.5% of Arabic Language & Literature degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	195	61.5%
Men	122	38.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	233	73.5%
Asian	14	4.4%
Hispanic or Latino	20	6.3%
Black or African American	9	2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.6%
Two or More Races	12	3.8%
Race Unknown	13	4.1%
International Students	13	4.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Arabic Language & Literature Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Arabic Language & Literature graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 Arabic Language & Literature Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Arabic Language & Literature. 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	1	0

^{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 Arabic Language & Literature Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Arabic Language & Literature 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
Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1103
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
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1001
American Sign Language (ASL)	16.1601
Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature	16.1202
Chinese Language and Literature	16.0301
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.1299
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1200
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	16.0399

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.