Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics at University of Nebraska-Lincoln

At a time when language degrees often face skepticism about career prospects, University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Romance Languages program delivers surprisingly strong returns. Starting graduates earn $38,478—already above the national median for this major—but the real story is momentum: earnings jump to $49,245 by year four, a 28% increase that suggests graduates are finding professional traction beyond entry-level positions. With debt of just $21,000 (below the national average for this field), the initial debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.55 represents manageable risk that improves significantly as careers develop.

The program ranks in the 69th percentile nationally and 60th percentile among Nebraska's eight Romance Languages programs—solid middle-of-the-pack performance that becomes more attractive when you consider the debt advantage. Language majors nationally graduate owing $22,722 on average, so UNL students are starting their careers with slightly less burden and slightly better earnings. This combination matters because humanities graduates often need flexibility in their first few years to pivot into teaching, translation, international business, or graduate school.

For parents worried about the practicality of a languages degree, this data shows it's not the career dead-end some assume—at least not at UNL. The earnings trajectory suggests graduates are leveraging their skills into real jobs, not just barista positions with a side of regret. It's still a lower-earning field compared to business or engineering, but if your child is genuinely passionate about Romance languages, this program won't saddle them with crushing debt while they figure out their path.