Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at Ohio State University-Main Campus

Ohio State's Romance Languages program starts well below national and even state expectations, with first-year earnings of just $27,815—placing it in the 21st percentile nationally. That's $6,700 below the national median for these degrees and trails competitors like Denison ($42,992) and Miami University ($39,220) by significant margins. However, this program follows an unusual trajectory: by year four, earnings jump 65% to $45,838, vaulting graduates well above typical Romance Languages outcomes and suggesting the degree serves as a foundation for career paths that take time to develop.

The debt load of $22,746 is manageable and matches national norms, though interestingly sits below Ohio's state median of $27,000 for these programs. The 0.82 debt-to-earnings ratio looks concerning at first glance, but that calculation uses only first-year earnings—by year four, the picture improves substantially as graduates find their footing. This pattern likely reflects the reality that language degrees often lead to indirect career paths (international business, translation, education, government) where relevant experience matters more than the diploma alone.

For families comfortable with a lower starting salary and a longer runway to career establishment, this becomes workable—especially given Ohio State's relatively affordable debt burden. But students need realistic expectations about that first year or two post-graduation and ideally should have a clear plan for leveraging language skills into a specific career rather than treating this as a general humanities degree.