Modern Language Education

Types of Degrees Modern Language Education 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	231
Bachelor’s Degree	74
Graduate Certificate	27
Undergraduate Certificate	7
Basic Certificate	6
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Modern Language Education Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to modern language education were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

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

When studying modern language education, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• 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 a modern language education 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.
• 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 Modern Language Education Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with modern language education:

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 Modern Language Education?

This major is dominated by women with about 77% of recent graduates being 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	5
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	16
White	43
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	4

Geographic Diversity

Modern Language Education appeals to people across the globe. About 4.1% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Modern Language Education

Some careers associated with modern language education require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 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 Modern Language Education 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)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	4	0
Bachelor’s Degree	23	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	50	4
Post-Master’s	5	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Modern Language Education

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

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Education Teaching & Coaching	6,901
Reading Teacher Education	5,922
Music Education	4,649
Mathematics Education	3,159
English & Language Arts Education	3,104
Other Teacher Education & Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	2,398
Social Studies Education	1,955
Art Education	1,711
Health Education	1,536
Science Education	1,133
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,132
History Education	834
Trade & Industrial Teacher Education	778
Biology Education	773
Social Science Teacher Education	503
Technology Education	464
School Librarian/School Library Media Specialist	401
Spanish Education	373
Technical Teacher Education	307
Computer Teacher Education	291
Family & Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education	253
Chemistry Education	225
Drama & Dance Education	223
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	153
Earth Science Teacher Education	114
Physics Education	113
Environmental Education	96
Health Occupations Teacher Education	74
Speech Teacher Education	65
Driver & Safety Teacher Education	49
French Language Teacher Education	25
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	9
German Language Teacher Education	8
Distributive Education	7
Latin Teacher Education	6
Psychology Teacher Education	6
Geography Teacher Education	2

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.