undergradly.
Major · Foreign Languages

A traditional humanities major with teaching and graduate paths

French Language and Literature (CIP 16.0901) prepares students in French language, literature, and Francophone culture. About 882 students complete it across 524 institutions — broadly available but with small per-school enrollment — and bachelor’s graduates earn around $57,499.

Schools offering
524
Annual completions
882
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$57k

About this major

French Language and Literature (CIP 16.0901) is a traditional humanities major preparing students in French language proficiency, French and Francophone literature, and the cultural and historical study of French-speaking regions. The CIP definition organizes coursework around the French language and related dialects and creoles — Metropolitan French, Canadian French, African and Caribbean Creoles — and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings. Programs typically blend grammar and conversation through advanced-composition coursework with literature in French (medieval through contemporary, often including Francophone literature beyond France), Francophone cultural and historical study, and a study-abroad semester or year in France, Quebec, Senegal, or another Francophone region. Some programs offer business-French or scientific-French tracks.

The major fits students with genuine connection to Francophone culture, comfortable with intensive language study and literary analysis, and considering teaching, translation, international work, or graduate academic study. It rewards careful textual reading, sustained language practice, and the patience to develop true conversational fluency over years rather than semesters. The career path runs from entry roles in teaching, translation, or international-facing business work into specialist and senior positions, with academic and diplomatic tracks requiring substantial graduate study.

One grounded observation about scale and per-school enrollment: 882 students complete this CIP across 524 institutions — averaging fewer than two graduates per institution per year. Per the data-reality framing, this scarcity reflects French being widely taught but rarely chosen as a primary major rather than an exclusive boutique cohort. Many students complete French heavily as a minor or second major instead. Bachelor’s graduates earn $57,499 in five-year tracked wages, with associate’s graduates at $49,077. The named labor-market destinations are secondary school teachers ($64,580, -1.6% growth, bachelor’s plus state cert) and interpreters and translators ($59,440, 1.7% growth, bachelor’s plus ATA certification typical), with postsecondary foreign-language teachers ($77,010, -0.2% growth) requiring a doctorate.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education $65k -1.6% Bachelor's degree
Interpreters and translators $59k +1.7% Bachelor's degree
Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary $77k -0.2% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$57k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$49k

Bachelor's

$57k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you have genuine connection to Francophone culture and are willing to commit to intensive language study (often a study-abroad semester or year), you’re drawn to literary analysis and sustained reading in French, you’re aiming at one of the realistic paths — K-12 French teaching with state certification, interpreting and translation work with ATA credentials, international-business roles where French is genuinely an asset, foreign-service or diplomatic entry, or graduate academic study — and the bachelor’s wage range ($49,000-$58,000 entry) matches your expectations.

Think twice if your goal is a US labor market with strong demand for the language alone — Spanish Language and Literature (CIP 16.0905, 4,864 completions) feeds a substantially larger bilingual labor market in healthcare, social work, education, and business. Reconsider if you want academic French specifically; the postsecondary teaching market shows -0.2% growth with notoriously tight tenure-track competition, and the path requires a doctorate plus scarce tenure-track openings. Also pause if you’d be better served completing French as a minor or second major alongside a credential with stronger labor-market traction (international business, education with state certification, or a STEM track) — many French-fluent professionals follow that path rather than majoring in French primarily.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for French Language and Literature

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Weber State University Ogden, UT 16 5 21
University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI 0 18 18
University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA 0 15 15
University of Georgia Athens, GA 0 13 13
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA 0 12 12
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 12 12
Austin Community College District Austin, TX 12 0 12
Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 0 12 12
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 0 12 12
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 12 12
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

English Language and Literature, General

26,983 completions/yr

Spanish Language and Literature

4,864 completions/yr

Foreign Languages and Literatures, General

1,740 completions/yr

Linguistics

1,672 completions/yr

English Language and Literature/Letters, Other

803 completions/yr

Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General

692 completions/yr

Japanese Language and Literature

589 completions/yr

American Sign Language (ASL)

433 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do French majors actually study?
The CIP definition organizes coursework around the French language and related dialects and creoles — Metropolitan French, Canadian French, African and Caribbean Creoles — and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings. Programs typically blend language proficiency (grammar, conversation, advanced composition) with literature in French (medieval through contemporary), Francophone cultural and historical study, and often a study-abroad semester or year in France, Quebec, or another Francophone region. Some programs offer concentrations in French for business or scientific French.
What jobs do graduates land — and at what pay?
Named destinations include secondary school teachers ($64,580, -1.6% growth, bachelor’s typical) and interpreters and translators ($59,440, 1.7% growth, bachelor’s typical). Postsecondary foreign-language teachers ($77,010, -0.2% growth) require a doctoral degree. Realistic bachelor’s destinations also include international-business roles requiring French (export coordinator, business-development specialist), foreign-service or diplomatic-track entry, nonprofit international-development work, and content-localization or translation roles. Bachelor’s graduates earn $57,499 in five-year tracked wages.
Why is the major offered at 524 institutions but only produces 882 graduates?
Most schools offer French as part of their humanities curriculum, but per-school enrollment is small — averaging fewer than two graduates per institution per year. That reflects two things: French is widely studied but rarely chosen as a primary major, and many students who study French heavily complete it as a minor or second major rather than the primary credential. The administrative grouping at the institution level (a small French department serving many minors) keeps the CIP active without producing large numbers of completers anywhere.
Do I need a graduate degree for the higher-paying roles?
It depends on the role. Secondary school teaching ($64,580) requires a bachelor’s plus state teacher certification — earned through an approved teacher-prep program (with student teaching) and state-required content and pedagogy exams. Interpreters and translators ($59,440) typically require a bachelor’s plus demonstrated bilingual fluency and often a certification (American Translators Association, court-certified translator). Postsecondary teaching ($77,010) requires a doctoral degree (typically a PhD), and tenure-track posts in foreign languages are scarce.
Are the named teaching jobs really declining?
Modestly. Secondary school teachers show -1.6% projected growth — reflecting overall enrollment trends and selective foreign-language program contraction. Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary, show -0.2% growth, with the academic job market for tenure-track foreign-language positions notoriously tight. The bachelor’s-level state-licensed K-12 path holds up reasonably well, particularly in districts with French-immersion or dual-language programs. Pure academic French careers are a longer, more uncertain path.
How does this compare to Spanish or General Foreign Languages?
Spanish Language and Literature (CIP 16.0905, 4,864 completions) is roughly 5.5 times larger and feeds a stronger US labor-market need — the much larger Spanish-speaking population in the country drives demand for bilingual healthcare, social-work, education, and business roles. Foreign Languages and Literatures, General (16.0101, 1,740 completions) is broader and lets students cover multiple languages. Choose French specifically if you have personal connection to Francophone culture, are aiming at Quebec or French-speaking Africa for international work, or are pursuing diplomatic or graduate academic tracks.