by our College Data Analytics TeamLearn the key facts every history and language/literature major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering history and language/literature programs.
Nationwide, history and language/literature is a widely-pursued major, with 317 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best History and Language/Literature Schools ranking analyzes these 2 schools to determine the best overall colleges for history and language/literature students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of history and language/literature programs later in this article.
Programs in History and Language/Literature emphasize a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations history and language/literature graduates commonly enter.
The skill set built by a history and language/literature program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
According to O*NET, a history and language/literature major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several history and language/literature degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 315 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 2 |
People currently working in careers related to history and language/literature tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | 37.0% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 30.1% |
| Master’s degree | 20.5% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 3.2% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 2.5% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 1.9% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 1.7% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 1.2% |
| Some college courses | 1.0% |
| Post-doctoral training | 0.6% |
| First professional degree | 0.2% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 0.1% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in history and language/literature careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
A degree in history and language/literature can lead to many career paths. Here are some of the most common occupations related to history and language/literature.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to history and language/literature.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,269,153 | 10.5% |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 718,152 | 6.5% |
| Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 629,317 | 7.3% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 571,954 | 1.8% |
| Managers, All Other | 468,025 | 6.2% |
| Interpreters and Translators | 424,722 | 12.2% |
| Compliance Managers | 310,203 | 13.0% |
| Loss Prevention Managers | 265,210 | 2.2% |
Salaries for history and language/literature graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers history and language/literature grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Wind Energy Development Managers | $169,952 |
| Loss Prevention Managers | $165,723 |
| Wind Energy Operations Managers | $122,567 |
| Compliance Managers | $117,178 |
| Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | $99,321 |
| Managers, All Other | $95,684 |
| Historians | $89,780 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $77,927 |
With 2 different history and language/literature programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased history and language/literature school rankings to help you.
Those considering history and language/literature, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| History and Language/Literature | 317 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 30,141 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 28,033 |
| Data Analytics | 12,891 |
| MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES | 10,355 |
| Data Science | 7,716 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 5,740 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 5,456 |
| Behavioral Sciences | 5,391 |
| Sustainability Studies | 4,374 |
| Cognitive Science | 3,121 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
