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Middle Eastern Semitic Languages

A general program that focuses on one or more of the Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic languages of the ancient and modern Middle/Near East, Western Asia, North Africa, and Europe. Includes instruction in philology; linguistics; dialects and pidgins; literature; and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings.

Types of Degrees Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Middle Eastern Semitic Languages can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2
Associate’s Degree	41
Bachelor’s Degree	270
Master’s Degree	197
Doctor’s Degree	30

What Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Middle Eastern Semitic Languages emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 2.9 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Middle Eastern Semitic Languages program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Middle Eastern Semitic Languages careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Middle Eastern Semitic Languages professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Moodle	Computer based training software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—
American Sign Language ASL browser	Dictionary software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates include:

• Language Teacher
• Hebrew Teacher
• Language Instructor
• Language Arts Teacher
• Bilingual Teacher
• French Teacher
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Spanish Teacher
• Teacher
• Russian Teacher
• English for Speakers of Other Languages Teacher (ESOL Teacher)
• College Professor
• Spanish Instructor
• Adjunct Spanish Instructor
• Bilingual Instructor

What Can You Do With a Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Middle Eastern Semitic Languages commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	1.8%	$77,927	$66,306–$89,549

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	36.3%
Doctoral degree	36.2%
Master’s degree	18.3%
Post-master’s certificate	2.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.5%
Postsecondary certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Middle Eastern Semitic Languages?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.8% women and 46.2% men among Middle Eastern Semitic Languages graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	291	746.2%
Men	250	641.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	20	51.3%
Asian	1	2.6%
Hispanic or Latino	2	5.1%
Black or African American	2	5.1%
Two or More Races	6	15.4%
International Students	8	20.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Middle Eastern Semitic 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 Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Middle Eastern Semitic 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
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	3	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 Middle Eastern Semitic Languages Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Middle Eastern Semitic 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Foreign Languages Linguistics	28,685
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	12,321
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services	7,564
American Sign Language	2,311
East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	2,111
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	1,385
Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	1,084
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other	545
Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	448
Second Language Learning	230
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	58
Southeast Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General	36

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.