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Romance Languages Major

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Romance Languages

975 Master's Degrees Annually
301 Doctor's Degrees Annually
#116 in Popularity (Master's)
$64,340 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Romance Languages Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many romance languages graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Master’s Degree 975
Doctor’s Degree 301
Graduate Certificate 28

What Romance Languages Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to romance languages 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 Romance Languages Majors

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

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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.
  • 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.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Romance Languages Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to romance languages:

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  • 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 Romance Languages Majors

As you progress with your romance languages degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • 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 Romance Languages Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with romance languages:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
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

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Romance Languages?

975 Master's Degrees Annually
67% Percent Women
39% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
The major attracts more women than men. About 67% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of romance languages majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 11
Black or African American 29
Hispanic or Latino 323
White 356
International Students 220
Other Races/Ethnicities 36

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Romance Languages, too. About 22.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • Spain
  • France
  • Italy
  • Mexico
  • Colombia

How Much Do Romance Languages Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median starting salary of students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree in romance languages was $52,205 per year. These stats come from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $49,009 (25th percentile) and $54,641 (75th percentile).

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It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to romance languages.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $55,230 to $79,160 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to romance languages. 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 Romance Languages Major  ( 55230 to 79160 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some degrees associated with romance languages 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to romance languages have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 0.3%
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) 0.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 2.9%
Bachelor’s Degree 41.2%
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. 7.2%
Master’s Degree 23.0%
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 21.5%

Online Romance Languages Programs

In 2020-2021, 1,020 schools offered a romance languages program of some type. 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) 21 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 2 1
Associate’s Degree 183 9
Bachelor’s Degree 31 3
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 313 7
Post-Master’s 7 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 144 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Romance Languages Worth It?

The median salary for a romance languages grad is $64,340 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 61% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $488,800 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to romance languages.

Major Number of Grads
Linguistics & Comparative Literature 1,748
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
Iranian & Persian Languages 0
Native American Languages 0
Turkic & Central Asian 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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