Other Foreign Language & Literature

Types of Degrees Other Foreign Language & Literature Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many foreign language, literature and linguistics (other) graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	26
Doctor’s Degree	13
Graduate Certificate	12

What Other Foreign Language & Literature Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, other foreign language majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Other Foreign Language Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in other foreign language should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Foreign Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• 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.
• Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Skills for Other Foreign Language Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to other foreign language:

• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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 Other Foreign Language Majors

Other Foreign Language majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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

What Can You Do With a Other Foreign Language & Literature Major?

People with a other foreign language degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Foreign Language and Literature Professors	11.7%	$67,640
Interpreters and Translators	17.7%	$49,930

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Other Foreign Language & Literature?

The major attracts more women than men. About 65% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of other foreign language majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	0
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	3
White	14
International Students	6
Other Races/Ethnicities	3

Geographic Diversity

Other Foreign Language appeals to people across the globe. About 23.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Colombia
• Mexico
• Saudi Arabia
• Spain

How Much Do Other Foreign Language & Literature Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that foreign language, literature and linguistics (other) students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $41,397 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $41,397 (25th percentile) and $41,397 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to other foreign language.

Salaries According to BLS

Other Foreign Language majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $55,230 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.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Other Foreign Language & Literature

Some degrees associated with other foreign language may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for other foreign language careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
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)	0.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	30.1%
Master’s Degree	21.7%
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.	4.3%
Doctoral Degree	37.8%

Online Other Foreign Language & Literature Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 68 schools offered some type of foreign language, literature and linguistics (other) 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)	3	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	1
Associate’s Degree	8	0
Bachelor’s Degree	4	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	11	1
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Other Foreign Language & Literature Worth It?

The median salary for a other foreign language grad is $55,230 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 38% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $306,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Other Foreign Language & Literature

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to other foreign language.

Major	Number of Grads
Linguistics & Comparative Literature	1,748
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
South Asian Languages	22
Second Language Learning	19
African Languages	3
Celtic Language & Literature	3
Greek Language & Literature	1
Iranian & Persian Languages	0
Turkic & Central Asian 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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By John Stephen Dwyer under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.