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history and language/literature

Types of Degrees history and language/literature Majors Are Earning

Those studying history and language/literature have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	315
Bachelor’s Degree	2

What history and language/literature Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing history and language/literature emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• History and Archeology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a history and language/literature program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to history and language/literature careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, history and language/literature graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by history and language/literature professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for history and language/literature graduates include:

• Lecturer
• College Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• University Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Instructor
• World History Teacher
• History Teacher
• Jewish History Professor
• Adjunct History Instructor
• History Adjunct Instructor
• Online History Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to history and language/literature graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	37.0%
Bachelor’s degree	30.1%
Master’s degree	20.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.7%
Postsecondary certificate	1.2%
Some college courses	1.0%
Post-doctoral training	0.6%
First professional degree	0.2%
Less than a high school diploma	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in history and language/literature?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62.8% of history and language/literature degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	199	62.8%
Men	118	37.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of history and language/literature graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	111	35.0%
Asian	9	2.8%
Hispanic or Latino	176	55.5%
Black or African American	18	5.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	1	0.3%
International Students	1	0.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
History and Language/Literature	30.45
Economics and Foreign Language/Literature	30.4001
Ancient Studies/Civilization	30.2201

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.