Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at University of Connecticut

UConn's Romance Languages program shows a striking earnings trajectory that addresses a common concern about humanities degrees. While first-year earnings of $32,795 lag slightly behind the national median, graduates see a robust 60% jump by year four to $52,354—suggesting the degree opens doors that take time to walk through. The debt load of $24,377 is reasonable, creating a manageable 0.74 debt-to-earnings ratio that ranks in the 39th percentile nationally (meaning lower debt than most programs).

Within Connecticut, this program performs respectably, landing at the 60th percentile for earnings among Romance Languages programs statewide. The caveat here is significant: with fewer than 30 graduates in the dataset, these numbers could shift considerably year to year. That small cohort size also appears across all UConn campuses offering this degree, all reporting identical median earnings.

For parents weighing this investment, the key question is whether your student can weather the initially modest salary while building the language skills, cultural competency, and analytical abilities that eventually pay off. The four-year earnings growth suggests many graduates successfully leverage the degree into stronger career outcomes, but the path requires patience and likely additional credentialing or language immersion. This works best for students with clear international career goals or graduate school plans.