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Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics: earnings, debt, and careers

CIP 16.11. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 179 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.

Graduate earnings by credential level

$0$25K$50K$75KUndergraduate certificate$47,456Bachelor's degree$43,178Master's degree$49,411Doctoral degree$57,675
National earnings of Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics graduates who were working and not enrolled one year after completing, by credential. Undergraduate certificate: median $47,456; Bachelor's degree: median $43,178; Master's degree: median $49,411; Doctoral degree: median $57,675. The bar spans the 25th to 75th percentile, the thin line spans the 10th to 90th percentile, and the red mark is the median.
CredentialProgramsGraduates (recent year)Median earnings, 1 yrMedian earnings, 4 yrsTypical program median debt
Undergraduate certificate2468$47,456$58,495Data unavailable
Associate's degree741Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Bachelor's degree90270$43,178$67,612$10,845
1 programs
Post-baccalaureate certificate10Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Master's degree31111$49,411Data unavailableData unavailable
Doctoral degree1730$57,675$74,328Data unavailable
Graduate certificate921Data unavailableData unavailableData 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.

Bachelor's degree programs with the highest early earnings

SchoolMedian earnings, 1 yrMedian earnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Pennsylvania Western University
PA · Public · 17 graduates measured
$55,753Data unavailable$10,845
Brigham Young University
UT · Private, nonprofit · 28 graduates measured
$37,408Data unavailableData 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.

Master's degree programs with the highest early earnings

SchoolMedian earnings, 1 yrMedian earnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Pennsylvania Western University
PA · Public · 27 graduates measured
$61,958Data unavailableData 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 Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

OccupationMedian wage, all workersChange 2025 to 2035Typical entry education
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 (5)
  • 16.1100 Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
  • 16.1101 Arabic Language and Literature
  • 16.1102 Hebrew Language and Literature
  • 16.1103 Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
  • 16.1199 Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other