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Occupational Outlook Handbook.
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Field of degree: Foreign language
Table 1. Foreign language degree, 2019
Data |
Foreign language |
All fields |
Employment
|
778,440 |
56,820,460 |
Median wage
|
54,000 |
60,000 |
Percent employed part time
|
21 |
15 |
Percent employed in occupations requiring at least a bachelor's degree
|
62 |
60 |
Percent with an advanced degree
|
51 |
37 |
Chart 1. Types of foreign language majors, 2019
Foreign language majors |
Major share |
French German Latin And Other Common Foreign Language Studies
|
66% |
Linguistics And Comparative Language And Literature
|
17 |
Other Foreign Languages
|
16 |
Chart 2. Employment distribution of workers with a foreign language degree, by occupational group, 2019
Occupational group |
Occupational group share |
Educational instruction and library occupations
|
22% |
Management occupations
|
15 |
Business and financial operations occupations
|
9 |
Office and administrative support occupations
|
9 |
Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
|
7 |
Other
|
39 |
Table 2. Top-employing occupations for workers with a foreign language degree
Occupational Outlook Handbook profile |
Percent growth, projected 2021–31 |
Typical entry-level education |
Percent degree holders in this field, this occupation, 2019 |
Percent of this occupation with an advanced degree, 2019 |
Interpreters and translators
|
20% |
Bachelor's degree |
1% |
18% |
Postsecondary teachers
|
12 |
Doctoral or professional degree |
7 |
73 |
Lawyers
|
10 |
Doctoral or professional degree |
4 |
92 |
Managers, all other
|
6 |
Bachelor's degree |
4 |
20 |
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
|
5 |
Bachelor's degree |
5 |
54 |
Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
|
5 |
Master's degree |
2 |
56 |
Elementary school teachers, except special education
|
4 |
Bachelor's degree |
6 |
48 |
Physicians, all other
|
2 |
Doctoral or professional degree |
2 |
100 |
Chief executives
|
-7 |
Bachelor's degree |
1 |
30 |
Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
|
-10 |
High school diploma or equivalent |
2 |
4 |
Last Modified Date:
Thursday, September 8, 2022