Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services: earnings, debt, and careers
CIP 16.01. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 952 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.
Graduate earnings by credential level
| Credential | Programs | Graduates (recent year) | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Typical program median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate certificate | 122 | 844 | $40,010 | $45,242 | $20,000 4 programs |
| Associate's degree | 85 | 368 | $31,627 | $37,796 | Data unavailable |
| Bachelor's degree | 406 | 4,678 | $33,703 | $49,984 | $20,232 78 programs |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 10 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Master's degree | 177 | 1,106 | $49,411 | $58,093 | Data unavailable |
| Doctoral degree | 87 | 456 | $63,470 | $77,285 | Data unavailable |
| Professional degree (JD, MD, and similar) | 1 | 0 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Graduate certificate | 64 | 112 | $50,847 | $61,808 | Data unavailable |
National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Undergraduate certificate programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| American University DC · Private, nonprofit · 30 graduates measured | $51,356 | $69,517 | $20,500 |
| Purdue University Fort Wayne IN · Public · 21 graduates measured | $47,472 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Durham Technical Community College NC · Public · 27 graduates measured | $41,281 | Data unavailable | $13,883 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte NC · Public · 69 graduates measured | $39,041 | $52,300 | $19,500 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi State University MS · Public · 33 graduates measured | $55,074 | Data unavailable | $27,000 |
| The University of Texas at Austin TX · Public · 37 graduates measured | $49,708 | $59,742 | $16,875 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA · Public · 40 graduates measured | $46,532 | $55,540 | $19,156 |
| Stony Brook University NY · Public · 28 graduates measured | $45,668 | $64,547 | $22,926 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC · Public · 28 graduates measured | $45,584 | $54,181 | $10,956 |
| Virginia Military Institute VA · Public · 19 graduates measured | $45,392 | $73,971 | $24,250 |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA · Public · 74 graduates measured | $44,759 | $68,263 | $20,500 |
| Duke University NC · Private, nonprofit · 22 graduates measured | $44,371 | $88,098 | Data unavailable |
| Kennesaw State University GA · Public · 26 graduates measured | $44,098 | Data unavailable | $20,250 |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania PA · Public · 24 graduates measured | $43,789 | Data unavailable | $23,500 |
| North Carolina State University at Raleigh NC · Public · 47 graduates measured | $43,228 | $60,031 | $20,375 |
| Northern Arizona University AZ · Public · 16 graduates measured | $43,181 | $54,276 | $14,312 |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins CO · Public · 31 graduates measured | $42,967 | $55,647 | Data unavailable |
| James Madison University VA · Public · 36 graduates measured | $42,508 | $62,366 | $25,000 |
| The University of Tennessee-Knoxville TN · Public · 46 graduates measured | $41,851 | $52,703 | $20,500 |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings
| School | Median earnings, 1 yr | Median earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Massachusetts-Boston MA · Public · 40 graduates measured | $54,404 | $67,132 | Data unavailable |
| Kent State University at Kent OH · Public · 29 graduates measured | $51,996 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey CA · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $49,908 | $95,625 | Data unavailable |
| Middlebury College VT · Private, nonprofit · 16 graduates measured | $49,908 | $95,625 | Data unavailable |
| New York University NY · Private, nonprofit · 17 graduates measured | $47,135 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL · Public · 19 graduates measured | $44,961 | Data unavailable | Data unavailable |
Ranked by published median earnings one year after completion. Programs with suppressed earnings do not appear, so this is not a ranking of program quality.
Careers linked to Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services
| Occupation | Median wage, all workers | Change 2025 to 2035 | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social scientists and related workers, all other | $101,110 | -0.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| English language and literature teachers, postsecondary | $78,760 | 0.0% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary | $79,350 | +0.2% | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education | $72,040 | -0.2% | Bachelor's degree |
| Interpreters and translators | $60,170 | +2.0% | Bachelor's degree |
Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (6)
- 16.0101 Foreign Languages and Literatures, General
- 16.0102 Linguistics
- 16.0103 Language Interpretation and Translation
- 16.0104 Comparative Literature
- 16.0105 Applied Linguistics
- 16.0199 Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other