UNDERGRADUATE CERTIFICATE OR DIPLOMA · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a undergraduate certificate or diploma in Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 5 college programs with reportable data.

Personal baseline needed

$54,454 in median year-4 earnings

A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.

$54,454Median year-4 earnings
$23,030Average institution net-price context
$25,848Median federal debt
Use your actual price and alternative earnings before evaluating return. Model your own starting point →
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What do you need to compare?

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$54,454Typical earnings four years after completion
$48,295Average earnings five years after completion
$25,848Typical federal student debt
54thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
42Degrees awarded in 2024–25
4College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 5 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

How much do Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics undergraduate certificate or diploma graduates earn?

The national median is $54,454 four years after completion across reportable undergraduate certificate or diploma programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $25,848. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $43,914 to $56,877 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 3 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

CURRENT VIEW

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$54,454
Federal debt
$25,848
Programs in the comparison
5
4 report earnings →
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Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$49,333
Federal debt
$11,313
Programs in the comparison
3
3 report earnings →
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Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$56,122
Federal debt
$22,746
Programs in the comparison
258
225 report earnings →
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Post-baccalaureate Certificate

Year-4 earnings
Not available
Federal debt
$28,000
Programs in the comparison
1
0 report earnings →
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Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$60,610
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
4
4 report earnings →
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Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$65,548
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
1
1 report earnings →
COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median
25th percentile$43,914National median$54,45475th percentile$56,877
4 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$56,87775th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$25,848Median federal debt across programs that report it
1Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

Saint Norbert College

$62,379 four years after completionDe Pere, WI · inspect the full program →
Lowest reported federal debt

Boise State University

$24,695 among completer borrowersBoise, ID · inspect the full program →
Largest recent graduating class

Cabrillo College

16 reported awards in 2024–25Aptos, CA · inspect the full program →
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Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

5 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 5 shown
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WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Saint Norbert College$62,3792Boise State University$56,8773Temple University$52,0304Cabrillo College$43,9145Walla Walla UniversityNot available

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$79,350 median wage19,830 jobs nationwide+0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 1,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$49,060–$136,050 typical wage rangeInterpreters and Translators$60,170 median wage52,060 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 6,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$37,070–$103,660 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.