Romance Languages

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

In an O*NET survey, romance languages 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 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:

• 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

romance languages majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• 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 a romance languages major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• 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?

People with a romance languages 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
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

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

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:

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

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Romance Languages. 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).

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

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Romance Languages

Some degrees associated with romance languages may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 romance languages careers below.

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!

Majors Related to Romance Languages

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
Celtic Language & Literature	3
African Languages	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.

• 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 Susana Freixeiro under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.