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Romance Languages Degree

198 schools compared · Average earnings $34,638/yr

Students study one or more Romance languages such as Spanish, French, Italian, or Portuguese, along with their literary traditions, cultural contexts, and linguistic structures. Graduates typically pursue careers in translation, international business, diplomacy, education, publishing, and bilingual service organizations. Spanish fluency in particular is in high demand in the U.S. healthcare, legal, and education sectors.

What Romance Languages Graduates Do

With a degree in Romance Languages, you’ll likely find yourself in a classroom or working directly with the language itself. As a secondary school teacher, your days are filled with lesson planning, managing teenagers, and instilling a love for French or Spanish. At the university level, you’ll lead discussions on Italian literature while also conducting your own academic research. Career progression can lead to roles like department head or curriculum developer. Alternatively, you could work as a translator, meticulously converting legal or marketing documents, or as an interpreter, providing real-time language support in high-stakes medical or business settings.

While teaching roles face some market headwinds, the biggest shift is driven by AI, especially in translation. Be frank: machine translation is automating routine work, reducing the need for junior translators. Your professional value will come from editing AI output, navigating complex cultural nuances, and making judgment calls machines cannot. In contrast, teaching remains a deeply human-centric field. The core work of mentoring students and managing a classroom dynamic has much lower AI exposure, making it a more stable career in an automated world.

Schools Offering

198

Avg Grad Earnings

$34,638/yr

Avg DegreeOutlook Score

35/100

AI Automation Risk

Very High

61% task exposure

Common Career Paths

Where Romance Languages graduates typically work, ranked by salary. Salary ranges show 25th–75th percentile spread. This field has roughly 75,000 combined openings per year.

Career Path	Salary Range	Openings/yr	Growth	AI Risk
Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary	$77,010 $60K$102K	1,900	-0.2%	53%
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education	$64,580 $58K$83K	66,200	-1.6%	33%
Interpreters and translators	$59,440 $45K$80K	6,900	+1.7%	88%

Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary

$77,010

$60K $102K

1,900 openings/yr -0.2% growth 53% AI risk

Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education

$64,580

$58K $83K

66,200 openings/yr -1.6% growth 33% AI risk

Interpreters and translators

$59,440

$45K $80K

6,900 openings/yr +1.7% growth 88% AI risk

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. Salary range shows 25th–median–75th percentile (national).

Best Schools for Romance Languages

Top 20 of 198 schools ranked by DegreeOutlook Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.

#	School	DW Score	Earnings	ROI
1	Brigham Young University Provo, UT	57 48–57	$40,002/yr	26.4x
2	University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI	53 45–54	$59,220/yr	9.0x
3	University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI	52 42–52	$41,109/yr	15.4x
4	University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT	51 42–52	$45,868/yr	13.6x
5	Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN	51 42–51	$37,845/yr	15.9x
6	Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX	50 41–50	$46,860/yr	10.3x
7	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Whitewater, WI	50 41–51	$42,722/yr	15.3x
8	CUNY York College Jamaica, NY	49 40–50	$46,882/yr	14.9x
9	CUNY Queens College Queens, NY	49 40–50	$37,654/yr	17.9x
10	University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Green Bay, WI	48 38–48	$43,126/yr	13.9x
11	University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA	48 39–49	$40,818/yr	10.1x
12	Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA	48 40–49	$36,237/yr	16.8x
13	Binghamton University Vestal, NY	48 40–49	$32,718/yr	16.1x
14	University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD	46 37–47	$39,516/yr	11.4x
15	Idaho State University Pocatello, ID	46 37–47	$38,054/yr	14.7x
16	University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI	46 37–46	$35,720/yr	12.6x
17	Utah State University Logan, UT	46 39–46	$30,242/yr	17.0x
18	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ	45 36–46	$42,436/yr	10.1x
19	New Jersey City University Jersey City, NJ	45 36–46	$39,714/yr	9.7x
20	The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX	45 37–46	$34,929/yr	12.4x
21	California State University-Sacramento Sacramento, CA	45 36–45	$34,117/yr	16.6x
22	Weber State University Ogden, UT	45 40–46	$27,989/yr	23.8x
23	Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA	44 35–45	$51,120/yr	2.1x
24	Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX	44 35–45	$40,562/yr	12.2x
25	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL	44 35–45	$38,942/yr	8.8x
26	University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE	44 35–44	$38,478/yr	11.9x
27	University of Wisconsin-La Crosse La Crosse, WI	44 35–44	$37,018/yr	12.6x
28	Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC	44 36–45	$36,179/yr	19.0x
29	University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA	44 35–44	$34,572/yr	11.2x
30	University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI	44 36–44	$33,705/yr	13.5x
31	Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN	44 36–44	$33,307/yr	12.3x
32	University of Florida Gainesville, FL	44 39–45	$27,578/yr	23.1x
33	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY	43 35–44	$54,327/yr	1.9x
34	Colgate University Hamilton, NY	43 35–44	$53,541/yr	2.0x
35	Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL	43 34–44	$40,586/yr	9.5x
36	University of Washington-Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA	43 35–44	$34,572/yr	11.0x
37	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC	43 35–43	$32,508/yr	14.4x
38	University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM	43 35–43	$32,236/yr	15.7x
39	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY	43 37–43	$28,681/yr	16.6x
40	Bentley University Waltham, MA	42 35–43	$66,917/yr	1.9x
41	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX	42 34–43	$57,858/yr	1.9x
42	College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA	42 34–43	$52,210/yr	2.1x
43	Montclair State University Montclair, NJ	42 33–43	$47,487/yr	7.0x
44	University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN	42 33–42	$46,030/yr	2.1x
45	Villanova University Villanova, PA	42 33–42	$45,088/yr	2.1x
46	Winona State University Winona, MN	42 33–43	$41,866/yr	10.3x
47	University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA	42 33–43	$38,269/yr	6.7x
48	University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA	42 33–42	$35,635/yr	9.1x
49	University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC	42 33–42	$35,208/yr	15.0x
50	University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA	42 33–42	$34,702/yr	12.5x
51	CUNY Hunter College New York, NY	42 35–43	$30,534/yr	17.2x
52	Illinois State University Normal, IL	41 33–42	$49,448/yr	6.3x
53	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY	41 32–42	$43,821/yr	9.3x
54	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY	41 32–41	$37,442/yr	11.5x
55	University of Georgia Athens, GA	41 33–42	$33,169/yr	11.7x
56	California State University-Channel Islands Camarillo, CA	41 34–41	$30,502/yr	17.5x
57	CUNY City College New York, NY	41 37–41	$23,932/yr	19.6x
58	Kean University Union, NJ	40 31–41	$42,750/yr	7.8x
59	Iowa State University Ames, IA	40 31–40	$37,909/yr	10.3x
60	University of Nevada-Reno Reno, NV	40 32–41	$35,591/yr	12.2x
61	Western Washington University Bellingham, WA	40 35–40	$26,557/yr	15.0x
62	Westfield State University Westfield, MA	39 30–40	$40,405/yr	7.5x
63	William & Mary Williamsburg, VA	39 29–39	$40,260/yr	4.7x
64	Dickinson College Carlisle, PA	39 30–39	$39,694/yr	2.2x
65	University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA	39 31–40	$36,692/yr	8.4x
66	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Arcata, CA	39 30–40	$36,444/yr	10.5x
67	CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY	39 31–40	$35,941/yr	11.1x
68	Texas State University San Marcos, TX	39 31–40	$35,781/yr	10.1x
69	The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX	39 32–39	$30,291/yr	12.8x
70	Florida State University Tallahassee, FL	39 32–39	$28,603/yr	19.4x
71	Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN	38 29–39	$47,208/yr	1.8x
72	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ	38 29–39	$42,436/yr	—
73	Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH	38 28–38	$39,220/yr	6.1x
74	University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI	38 30–39	$36,411/yr	11.4x
75	University of Idaho Moscow, ID	38 29–38	$36,200/yr	9.3x
76	Michigan State University East Lansing, MI	38 29–38	$35,658/yr	7.6x
77	Amherst College Amherst, MA	37 28–38	$49,322/yr	0.8x
78	Tufts University Medford, MA	37 28–37	$49,164/yr	0.8x
79	Butler University Indianapolis, IN	37 28–37	$43,678/yr	2.4x
80	Clemson University Clemson, SC	37 28–37	$39,209/yr	5.3x
81	Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana, PA	37 28–37	$37,374/yr	7.2x
82	University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC	37 29–38	$35,191/yr	12.3x
83	University of Houston-Downtown Houston, TX	37 28–37	$34,003/yr	10.0x
84	Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ	37 29–38	$33,901/yr	9.3x
85	University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus Waterbury, CT	37 29–37	$32,795/yr	7.4x
86	University of Connecticut-Avery Point Groton, CT	37 29–37	$32,795/yr	7.4x
87	University of Connecticut-Stamford Stamford, CT	37 29–37	$32,795/yr	7.4x
88	University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus Hartford, CT	37 29–37	$32,795/yr	7.4x
89	College of Charleston Charleston, SC	37 29–37	$32,503/yr	9.3x
90	California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA	37 30–37	$29,329/yr	14.2x
91	California State University-Chico Chico, CA	37 34–37	$22,917/yr	16.3x
92	California State University-Fresno Fresno, CA	37 35–38	$20,070/yr	19.1x
93	DePauw University Greencastle, IN	36 27–37	$43,049/yr	2.0x
94	Emory University Atlanta, GA	36 27–37	$40,019/yr	2.0x
95	Ball State University Muncie, IN	36 27–36	$37,553/yr	8.8x
96	University of Connecticut Storrs, CT	36 28–36	$32,795/yr	6.2x
97	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	36 28–36	$31,622/yr	7.7x
98	Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH	36 31–37	$27,815/yr	10.5x
99	University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	36 30–36	$26,966/yr	9.9x
100	Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA	35 26–36	$45,300/yr	0.7x
101	University of Portland Portland, OR	35 26–36	$41,018/yr	2.0x
102	Elmhurst University Elmhurst, IL	35 26–35	$35,767/yr	2.9x
103	University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA	35 27–35	$32,934/yr	7.9x
104	Indiana University-Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN	35 28–36	$32,084/yr	10.3x
105	The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX	35 28–35	$30,505/yr	9.9x
106	University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC	35 30–35	$25,426/yr	15.2x
107	University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR	35 32–35	$19,519/yr	13.9x
108	Georgetown University Washington, DC	34 25–35	$46,190/yr	1.5x
109	Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA	34 25–35	$44,068/yr	0.7x
110	Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN	34 24–34	$40,212/yr	3.2x
111	University of Delaware Newark, DE	34 26–35	$36,297/yr	4.6x
112	Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI	34 25–34	$35,411/yr	5.0x
113	Oregon State University-Cascades Campus Bend, OR	34 25–34	$34,510/yr	5.9x
114	University of Arizona Tucson, AZ	34 26–35	$34,484/yr	7.7x
115	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	34 26–34	$33,419/yr	2.1x
116	Rutgers University-Camden Camden, NJ	34 27–34	$31,335/yr	7.1x
117	Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ	34 27–34	$31,335/yr	7.0x
118	Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ	34 27–35	$31,335/yr	7.3x
119	University of Iowa Iowa City, IA	34 28–34	$28,746/yr	10.5x
120	Boise State University Boise, ID	34 29–34	$26,579/yr	12.9x
121	Georgia State University Atlanta, GA	34 29–35	$26,232/yr	13.4x
122	Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX	34 30–35	$25,814/yr	10.8x
123	California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA	34 31–34	$21,609/yr	16.4x
124	University of the Pacific Stockton, CA	33 24–34	$43,472/yr	1.8x
125	Colby College Waterville, ME	33 24–34	$42,326/yr	0.6x
126	Oregon State University Corvallis, OR	33 25–34	$34,510/yr	5.4x
127	Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI	33 25–33	$32,630/yr	7.1x
128	Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI	33 25–33	$31,569/yr	7.5x
129	University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN	33 26–34	$31,174/yr	7.9x
130	University of California-Davis Davis, CA	33 26–33	$29,330/yr	7.8x
131	San Diego State University San Diego, CA	33 27–33	$28,182/yr	12.2x
132	University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC	33 30–34	$21,411/yr	10.9x
133	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI	32 23–33	$41,033/yr	2.0x
134	Bates College Lewiston, ME	32 23–33	$40,395/yr	0.6x
135	Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY	32 23–33	$40,204/yr	0.5x
136	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	32 23–33	$39,825/yr	0.6x
137	University of Oregon Eugene, OR	32 25–32	$29,765/yr	7.3x
138	University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg Greensburg, PA	32 25–32	$29,617/yr	7.8x
139	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI	32 29–33	$22,803/yr	8.3x
140	California State University-San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA	32 29–32	$18,490/yr	14.9x
141	DePaul University Chicago, IL	31 22–31	$39,207/yr	2.1x
142	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	31 24–31	$30,970/yr	5.1x
143	University at Albany Albany, NY	31 24–31	$30,810/yr	6.4x
144	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX	31 25–31	$27,138/yr	10.5x
145	University of North Texas Denton, TX	31 27–31	$24,880/yr	10.4x
146	Fordham University Bronx, NY	30 21–31	$44,073/yr	1.2x
147	Hamilton College Clinton, NY	30 21–31	$41,946/yr	1.2x
148	Williams College Williamstown, MA	30 22–31	$37,968/yr	0.5x
149	Wheaton College Wheaton, IL	30 21–31	$37,025/yr	1.1x
150	Rowan University Glassboro, NJ	30 22–30	$33,081/yr	5.8x
151	University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH	30 23–30	$30,504/yr	4.6x
152	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Pomona, CA	30 24–30	$27,657/yr	8.3x
153	Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA	30 24–30	$27,427/yr	11.2x
154	University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA	30 26–31	$24,453/yr	8.6x
155	Denison University Granville, OH	29 20–30	$42,992/yr	1.0x
156	Wofford College Spartanburg, SC	29 20–29	$39,499/yr	1.5x
157	Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI	29 20–30	$38,068/yr	2.2x
158	Chapman University Orange, CA	29 21–30	$36,546/yr	0.5x
159	Hope College Holland, MI	29 21–30	$35,992/yr	2.4x
160	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA	29 22–29	$29,617/yr	5.0x
161	University of Denver Denver, CO	28 19–29	$41,865/yr	0.8x
162	Baylor University Waco, TX	28 20–28	$34,649/yr	0.6x
163	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Oshkosh, WI	28 23–28	$26,584/yr	7.1x
164	Central College Pella, IA	27 20–27	$30,211/yr	2.6x
165	Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI	27 21–27	$28,231/yr	6.8x
166	University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH	27 22–28	$27,312/yr	5.6x
167	San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA	27 23–28	$25,242/yr	7.5x
168	California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA	27 24–27	$20,433/yr	12.9x
169	Wellesley College Wellesley, MA	26 17–27	$36,776/yr	1.2x
170	St Olaf College Northfield, MN	26 18–26	$32,094/yr	0.4x
171	Monmouth College Monmouth, IL	26 18–26	$32,036/yr	0.8x
172	Portland State University Portland, OR	26 20–26	$27,500/yr	7.7x
173	Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL	25 16–25	$35,622/yr	1.3x
174	Smith College Northampton, MA	25 16–25	$35,407/yr	1.1x
175	Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY	25 21–25	$24,967/yr	8.1x
176	Wright State University-Main Campus Dayton, OH	25 21–25	$23,739/yr	8.5x
177	Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA	24 16–24	$32,356/yr	1.3x
178	Gonzaga University Spokane, WA	24 17–24	$29,859/yr	0.4x
179	Dominican University River Forest, IL	24 17–24	$29,102/yr	0.9x
180	University of Redlands Redlands, CA	24 18–24	$27,731/yr	1.9x
181	Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN	23 16–23	$31,752/yr	1.7x
182	Centre College Danville, KY	23 20–23	$19,503/yr	-0.0x
183	Mercer University Macon, GA	22 17–22	$26,952/yr	0.6x
184	Drew University Madison, NJ	21 15–21	$27,823/yr	2.0x
185	Nazareth University Rochester, NY	21 16–21	$25,979/yr	0.6x
186	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH	21 18–22	$22,734/yr	5.9x
187	Grinnell College Grinnell, IA	20 14–20	$28,691/yr	1.3x
188	University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA	20 16–21	$25,035/yr	1.7x
189	Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA	20 16–20	$24,773/yr	0.2x
190	Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY	19 13–19	$28,999/yr	1.0x
191	Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA	19 15–20	$23,699/yr	0.0x
192	Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH	19 15–20	$23,537/yr	0.1x
193	Seattle University Seattle, WA	18 13–19	$28,082/yr	1.2x
194	Augustana College Rock Island, IL	18 14–18	$24,208/yr	1.8x
195	Washington & Jefferson College Washington, PA	18 15–18	$19,700/yr	0.7x
196	Willamette University Salem, OR	17 12–18	$27,044/yr	1.2x
197	Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA	17 12–17	$26,013/yr	1.1x
198	Allegheny College Meadville, PA	16 13–17	$21,822/yr	1.6x

Highest Earning Romance Languages Programs

Schools where Romance Languages graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.

School	1-Year Earnings	DW Score
Bentley University	$66,917/yr	42
University of Rhode Island	$59,220/yr	53
Southern Methodist University	$57,858/yr	42
Columbia University in the City of New York	$54,327/yr	43
Colgate University	$53,541/yr	43
College of the Holy Cross	$52,210/yr	42
Bucknell University	$51,120/yr	44
Illinois State University	$49,448/yr	41
Amherst College	$49,322/yr	37
Tufts University	$49,164/yr	37

Best ROI for Romance Languages

Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Romance Languages.

School	ROI Multiple	Earnings	DW Score
Brigham Young University	26.4x	$40,002/yr	57
Weber State University	23.8x	$27,989/yr	45
University of Florida	23.1x	$27,578/yr	44
CUNY City College	19.6x	$23,932/yr	41
Florida State University	19.4x	$28,603/yr	39
California State University-Fresno	19.1x	$20,070/yr	37
Western Carolina University	19.0x	$36,179/yr	44
CUNY Queens College	17.9x	$37,654/yr	49
California State University-Channel Islands	17.5x	$30,502/yr	41
CUNY Hunter College	17.2x	$30,534/yr	42

Want to compare two Romance Languages programs side by side? Use the comparison tool →

Related Majors

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Consider the Trade Route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Romance Languages offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Romance Languages graduates earn?

Across 198 schools, Romance Languages graduates earn an average of $34,638 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $18,490 to $66,917 depending on the school.

What is the AI automation risk for Romance Languages?

Romance Languages is rated "Very High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 61% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means most career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.

Which school has the best Romance Languages program?

Based on our DegreeOutlook Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), Brigham Young University ranks #1 for Romance Languages with a score of 57/100 and graduate earnings of $40,002/yr.

What's the outlook for a Romance Languages degree?

On average, Romance Languages graduates earn 7.7x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →