by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2020-2021, linguistics was the 206th most popular major nationwide with 3,247 degrees awarded. This represents a 3.6% increase in linguistics degrees awarded over the prior year's total of 3,129.
This year's Best Linguistics Schools ranking compares 81 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of linguistics programs later in this article.
When studying Linguistics, you’ll learn that talking to others to convey information effectively will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times and understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents are all required skills for careers related to this major.
New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. In addition to these basic linguistics program qualifications, to serve in some linguistics careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
There are various different levels of linguistics degrees. You can get anything from a in linguistics to the highest linguistics degree, a . How long it takes to complete some common linguistics degree levels is shown below.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A doctor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to linguistics, with approximately 36.7% of workers getting one. See the the most common levels of education for linguistics workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Doctoral Degree | 37.8% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 30.1% |
| Master’s Degree | 21.7% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 5.6% |
| Post-Master’s Certificate | 4.3% |
62.8% of linguistics workers have at least a master's. The chart below shows what degree level those who work in linguistics have obtained.
This of course varies depending on which linguistics career you choose.
Want a job when you graduate with your linguistics degree? Linguistics careers are expected to grow 15.7% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to linguistics.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Interpreters and Translators | 80,300 | 17.7% |
| Foreign Language and Literature Professors | 39,100 | 11.7% |
As you might expect, salaries for linguistics graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for linguistics graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers linguistics grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Foreign Language and Literature Professors | $79,160 |
| Interpreters and Translators | $55,230 |
With over 418 different linguistics degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased linguistics school rankings to help you with this.
Linguistics is one of 5 different types of Linguistics & Comparative Literature programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Modern Languages | 2,871 |
| Language Translation | 971 |
| Comparative Literature | 964 |
| Other Linguistic, Comparative, & Related Language Studies & Services | 288 |
| Applied Linguistics | 198 |
Image Credit: By Pandit Rahul Sanskrutayan, Banshidhar Mohanty under License More about our data sources and methodologies.
