African Languages Major Guide: Overview and RoEDU™ Opportunities 2025

The African Languages major builds core foundations in this discipline and prepares students with practical, career-relevant skills. Use RoEDU™ to find programs that match your goals.

Within Linguistics, students often explore key subfields and specializations that provide targeted expertise.

Graduates translate classroom knowledge into real-world impact across sectors through hands-on projects and internships.

As part of Linguistics, this major connects to diverse, high-demand fields and interdisciplinary pathways.

Salary Outlook

Entry-level salary
$54,766

Typical starting pay soon after graduation.

Mid-career salary (10y)
$86,162

Estimated after a decade of experience.

Experienced salary (20y)
$115,224

Seasoned professionals at ~20 years.

Weighted median over last 5 years
CAGR 2.9%

CAGR (compound annual growth rate) summarizes average yearly change across the observed period.

Estimated lifetime earnings

40 years, present value
$2,169,654

Employment-weighted across mapped SOCs; entry ≈ 85% of median; historical CAGR shown for last 5y; projections capped at 3% CAGR; lifetime is 40-year present value at 3% discount.

Career Opportunities & Salaries

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024) • Median wages, employment, and growth projections

OccupationMedian WageTotal JobsGrowth RateEducation
Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
SOC: 25-1124
Occupation: Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
$77,010
21,170
N/A
N/A
Interpreters and Translators
SOC: 27-3091
Occupation: Interpreters and Translators
$59,440
53,360
N/A
N/A

Historical Career Trends (2020-2024)

Historical data from Bureau of Labor Statistics (2020-2024) • Salary trends and employment growth over 5 years

Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

10.1%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$77,01021,170
2023$78,76020,820
2022$76,03019,520
2021$77,03019,640
2020$69,92022,790

Interpreters and Translators

13.6%
5-Year Growth
YearMedian WageEmployment
2024$59,44053,360
2023$57,09051,560
2022$53,64052,160
2021$49,11052,170
2020$52,33056,920

Colleges offering African Languages

Featured

Harvard University

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$18k

Earnings

$105k

Rutgers University-New Brunswick

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$20k

Earnings

$65k

University of Wisconsin-Madison

RoEdu™

999

Net Price

$15k

Earnings

$64k

Grand Valley State University

RoEdu™

795

Net Price

$18k

Earnings

$50k