Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at University of Arizona

University of Arizona's Romance Languages program produces graduates who start below the state median for this major—$34,484 versus $38,460 statewide—placing it in just the 40th percentile among Arizona's five programs. That's a notable gap when both ASU campuses are churning out graduates earning $42,000+ in their first year. The debt load of $16,725 is actually lower than both state and national medians, which helps offset the earnings shortfall, but the combination still leaves graduates trailing their in-state peers.

The program does show solid earnings momentum, with 16% growth to $40,051 by year four, nearly catching up to where ASU graduates start. At a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.49, this is manageable debt relative to initial income—you're looking at roughly half a year's salary, which is reasonable for a humanities degree. The real question is whether the $8,000 first-year earnings gap compared to ASU justifies choosing U of A, especially since both are state schools with similar in-state tuition.

For families committed to U of A for other reasons (campus fit, specific faculty, Tucson location), this program won't saddle your child with crushing debt. But if maximizing early career earnings in Romance Languages is the priority, the data suggests looking at ASU first.