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Modern Language Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach foreign languages programs at various educational levels, other than French, German or Spanish.

Types of Degrees Modern Language Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Modern Language Education can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	70
Master’s Degree	238
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Modern Language Education Majors Need to Know

Studies in Modern Language Education develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Modern Language Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Modern Language Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Philosophy and Theology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Modern Language Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Modern Language Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Modern Language Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Modern Language Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Modern Language Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Lecturer
• Instructor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• College Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Spanish Teacher
• Teacher
• Bilingual Teacher
• Language Instructor
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Secondary Education Professor
• Adult Basic Education Instructor

What Can You Do With a Modern Language Education Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Modern Language Education commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary	7.3%	$39,815	$32,184–$47,445

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Modern Language Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	52.0%
Bachelor’s degree	29.5%
Master’s degree	8.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.9%
Less than a high school diploma	2.1%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Modern Language Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 82.1% of Modern Language Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	256	82.1%
Men	56	17.9%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Modern Language Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	133	42.6%
Asian	43	13.8%
Hispanic or Latino	51	16.3%
Black or African American	11	3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	10	3.2%
Race Unknown	11	3.5%
International Students	52	16.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Modern Language Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Modern Language Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Modern Language Education Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Modern Language Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	5	4

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Modern Language Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Modern Language Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Music Teacher Education	4,544
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860
Health Teacher Education	1,472

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.