Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
Foreign Languages & Linguistics
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $51,373 | $46,379 to $61,040 | 7 | 86% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +0% (2025 to 2035), about 71,100 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $72,040 | -0.2% | 63,500 |
| Interpreters and Translators | $60,170 | +2% | 6,000 |
| Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | $79,350 | +0.2% | 1,600 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a germanic languages, literatures, and linguistics program, of 232 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- The University of Texas at Austin
- Boise State University
- University of Rhode Island
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- University of Washington-Seattle Campus
- University of Arkansas
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.