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French as Second/Foreign Language

A program that focuses on the principles and practice of teaching French to students who are not proficient in French or who do not speak, read, or write French, and prepares individuals to serve as teachers and administrators.

What French as Second/Foreign Language Majors Need to Know

Studies in French as Second/Foreign Language develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that French as Second/Foreign Language graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in French as Second/Foreign Language emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a French as Second/Foreign Language program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to French as Second/Foreign Language careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, French as Second/Foreign Language graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.9 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.8 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by French as Second/Foreign Language professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Children’s educational software	Computer based training software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Seesaw	Multi-media educational software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Google Classroom	Project management software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Bloomz	Desktop communications software	—
Common Curriculum	Computer based training software	—
Nearpod	Multi-media educational software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for French as Second/Foreign Language graduates include:

• Teacher
• Montessori Teacher
• Art Teacher
• Educator
• Classroom Teacher
• Physical Fitness Teacher
• Early Childhood Teacher
• Instructor
• Bilingual Teacher
• Math Teacher (Mathematics Teacher)
• ESL Teacher (English as a Second Language Teacher)
• After School Teacher
• English Teacher
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Long Term Substitute Kindergarten Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to French as Second/Foreign Language graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	57.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	11.2%
Master’s degree	10.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.1%
Some college courses	3.2%
Postsecondary certificate	2.6%
Less than a high school diploma	1.7%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%

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

How Much Do French as Second/Foreign Language Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of French as Second/Foreign Language graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$61,547
4 years	$57,320
5 years	$63,672

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $63,672 — roughly 3% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in French as Second/Foreign Language Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, French as Second/Foreign Language graduates earn a median of $57,320 four years after completion — roughly 51% 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, Multiple Levels	8,732
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language	5,092
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor	5,071
Bilingual and Multilingual Education	932
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Educational Methods	399
Montessori Teacher Education	264
Online Educator/Online Teaching	115
Environmental Education	86
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language, Other	21
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	16
International Teaching and Learning	11
Waldorf/Steiner Teacher Education	—

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.