Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Bentley University

Bentley's Romance Languages program posts earnings that seem almost too good to be true—$66,917 beats not just the Massachusetts median ($40,405) but even Holy Cross and Tufts by substantial margins. The 95th percentile ranking both nationally and statewide is extraordinary for a humanities degree. The relatively modest debt load of $26,887 creates a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.40, meaning graduates could theoretically pay off their loans in under five months of gross earnings.

The obvious caveat: with fewer than 30 graduates, these numbers likely reflect Bentley's broader culture rather than the romance languages curriculum itself. Known primarily as a business school with a 1340 average SAT, Bentley attracts career-focused students who often double major or leverage the school's strong corporate recruiting network. These romance languages graduates may well be working in consulting, finance, or tech—not translation or teaching—which would explain earnings that nearly double the national average for the major.

For parents, this creates an interesting scenario. If your child genuinely wants to study French or Spanish literature at Bentley, the data suggests they'll likely land on their feet financially. But recognize you're probably paying for the Bentley network and business school proximity more than the language program itself. A dedicated humanities student might find richer departmental resources at a traditional liberal arts college, even if the starting salary looks less impressive on paper.