Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many modern language education graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	228
Bachelor’s Degree	76
Graduate Certificate	35
Doctor’s Degree	6
Basic Certificate	2

What Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, modern language education 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 Modern Language Education Majors

Modern Language Education majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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.
• 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.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Modern Language Education Majors

A major in modern language education prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Abilities for Modern Language Education Majors

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

• 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.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Major?

People with a modern language education degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
Foreign Language and Literature Professors	11.7%	$67,640
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in ?

The major attracts more women than men. About 82% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	6
Black or African American	1
Hispanic or Latino	14
White	50
International Students	2
Other Races/Ethnicities	3

Geographic Diversity

Modern Language Education appeals to people across the globe. About 2.6% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Modern Language Education majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $62,030 to $73,680 (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

Some degrees associated with modern language education 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 modern language education careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	38.6%
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.	9.0%
Master’s Degree	16.9%
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.	1.9%
Doctoral Degree	31.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.0%

Online Programs

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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	4	0
Bachelor’s Degree	20	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	46	5
Post-Master’s	6	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Worth It?

The median salary for a modern language education 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

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to modern language education.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Education Teaching & Coaching	7,516
Reading Teacher Education	6,010
Music Education	4,909
Mathematics Education	3,269
English & Language Arts Education	3,161
Other Teacher Education & Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	2,558
Social Studies Education	1,995
Art Education	1,859
Health Education	1,721
Science Education	1,307
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,153
History Education	850
Biology Education	797
Trade & Industrial Teacher Education	757
Social Science Teacher Education	584
Technology Education	545
School Librarian/School Library Media Specialist	408
Spanish Education	406
Technical Teacher Education	353
Family & Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education	268
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	252
Computer Teacher Education	248
Chemistry Education	245
Drama & Dance Education	242
Earth Science Teacher Education	133
Physics Education	105
Environmental Education	91
Health Occupations Teacher Education	89
Speech Teacher Education	52
French Language Teacher Education	39
Driver & Safety Teacher Education	38
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	11
Distributive Education	8
German Language Teacher Education	8
Latin Teacher Education	5
Psychology Teacher Education	4
Geography Teacher Education	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 Aparajita Datta under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.