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Linguistics & Literature Major

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Linguistics & Literature

1,167 Master's Degrees Annually
427 Doctor's Degrees Annually
#104 in Popularity (Master's)
$78,150 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Linguistics & Literature Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many linguistics and comparative literature graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Master’s Degree 1,167
Doctor’s Degree 427
Graduate Certificate 154

What Linguistics & Literature Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to comparative literature and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Comparative Literature Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Skills for Comparative Literature Majors

comparative literature majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Comparative Literature Majors

A major in comparative literature will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Linguistics & Literature Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with comparative literature:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
English Language and Literature Professors 9.8% $66,590
Foreign Language and Literature Professors 11.7% $67,640
Interpreters and Translators 17.7% $49,930
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 7.5% $60,320
Transportation Planners 6.7% $81,340

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Linguistics & Literature?

1,167 Master's Degrees Annually
66% Percent Women
25% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
The major attracts more women than men. About 66% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of comparative literature majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 48
Black or African American 32
Hispanic or Latino 161
White 505
International Students 320
Other Races/Ethnicities 101

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Comparative Literature, too. About 27.4% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • China
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Korea
  • Japan
  • Spain

How Much Do Linguistics & Literature Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in linguistics and comparative literature made a median starting salary of $45,440 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $42,818 (25th percentile) and $57,928 (75th percentile).

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It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in comparative literature, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Comparative Literature majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $64,340 to $79,160 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Linguistics & Literature Major  ( 64340 to 79160 )
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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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Some careers associated with comparative literature require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for comparative literature careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 2.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 0.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 0.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 1.7%
Bachelor’s Degree 37.2%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 4.2%
Master’s Degree 25.4%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 2.8%
Doctoral Degree 27.1%
Post-Doctoral Training 0.1%

Online Linguistics & Literature Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 522 schools offered some type of linguistics and comparative literature program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 29 1
Certificate (2-4 Years) 2 0
Associate’s Degree 81 4
Bachelor’s Degree 48 1
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 208 3
Post-Master’s 13 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 126 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Linguistics & Literature Worth It?

The median salary for a comparative literature grad is $78,150 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 96% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $765,000 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to comparative literature.

Major Number of Grads
Romance Languages 1,304
Classical Languages & Literature 303
East Asian Languages 209
Middle Eastern Semitic Languages 160
Germanic Languages 149
American Sign Language 115
Slavic, Baltic & Albanian Languages 74
Foreign Language, Literature & Linguistics (Other) 51
South Asian Languages 22
Second Language Learning 19
African Languages 3
Celtic Language & Literature 3
Greek Language & Literature 1
Turkic & Central Asian Languages 0
Iranian & Persian Languages 0
Native American Languages 0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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