Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Brigham Young University

With fewer than 30 graduates tracked, BYU's Middle Eastern studies program shows promising but highly uncertain outcomes. The $48,355 starting salary places this cohort at the 95th percentile nationally—an impressive figure for a humanities degree—while the modest $15,526 in debt creates a remarkably low 0.32 debt-to-earnings ratio. However, these numbers reflect such a small sample that they may tell you more about a few exceptional graduates than about what's typical.

The real question is what drives these outcomes. BYU's strong language instruction and significant LDS missionary presence (many students arrive with Arabic, Hebrew, or Farsi skills from mission work) likely creates unusually career-ready graduates. The minimal earnings growth to $50,216 after four years suggests graduates quickly find their professional ceiling, possibly in government translation, international business, or education roles. For context, this is the only program of its kind tracked in Utah, so state comparisons offer little insight.

The low debt figure matters enormously here and likely reflects BYU's subsidized tuition for LDS students. If your child would pay full non-LDS tuition, the economics shift considerably. Given the tiny sample size, ask the department directly about placement rates and where recent graduates actually work—these numbers alone can't reliably predict your child's outcome.