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Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages

Types of Degrees Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages Majors Are Earning

Those studying Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	37
Master’s Degree	26
Doctor’s Degree	18

What Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Other Middle/Near Eastern 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

Skills built by a Other Middle/Near Eastern 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

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Other Middle/Near Eastern 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, Other Middle/Near Eastern 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 Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Skype	Desktop communications software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
QuarkXPress	Desktop publishing software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages graduates include:

• Italian Teacher
• Japanese Professor
• English for Speakers of Other Languages Teacher (ESOL Teacher)
• Arabic Professor
• Instructor
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• French Professor
• French Teacher
• Hebrew Teacher
• Bilingual Teacher
• Spanish Professor
• German Teacher
• Spanish Language Lecturer
• Spanish Teacher
• Spanish Literature Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Other Middle/Near Eastern 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 Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.1% women and 46.9% men among Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	43	53.1%
Men	38	46.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	33	40.7%
Asian	2	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino	3	3.7%
Black or African American	3	3.7%
Two or More Races	6	7.4%
Race Unknown	9	11.1%
International Students	25	30.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Other Middle/Near Eastern 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.}

Is a Degree in Other Middle/Near Eastern Languages Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Other Middle/Near Eastern 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
Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1103
Arabic Language and Literature	16.1101
Hebrew Language and Literature	16.1102
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.