East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) degree: salary, jobs & colleges

Bachelor's graduates in east asian languages (chinese / japanese / korean) earn a median $52,010 four years after finishing, across 24 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in other foreign languages earn $48,881, $13,168 less than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is elementary and middle school teachers (5%).

Graduates, 4 years out
$52,010

Median across 24 colleges; middle half $44,878–$55,898.

College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)

All workers ages 25-34 with this degree
$48,881

Middle half $26,237–$74,852. 637 survey respondents.

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Other Foreign Languages"; EducationGuide calculation

Compared with
  • All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
  • High school, 25-34$35,638
  • This degree vs high school+$13,243/yr

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school

Median federal debt at graduation
$20,685

Median across colleges reporting.

College Scorecard field of study

Jobs east asian languages (chinese / japanese / korean) graduates hold

What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in other foreign languages actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

JobShare of graduatesU.S. median wageJobs growth 2025-35Typical entryInterests
Elementary And Middle School Teachers5%$64,170-0.4%——
Other Managers3%————
Software Developers3%$135,980+10.2%Bachelor's degreeIC
Insurance Sales Agents3%$62,280+3.3%High school diploma or equivalentECS
Customer Service Representatives3%$44,770-5.3%High school diploma or equivalentCES
Education And Childcare Administrators2%$102,260+0.1%——
Paralegals And Legal Assistants2%$62,890-0.3%Associate's degreeCIE
Secretaries And Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, And Executive2%$47,540-6.0%High school diploma or equivalentCES

These 8 jobs account for 24% of employed graduates: people with this degree spread across many kinds of work.

Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).

East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) earnings by state

Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.

StateGraduates, 4 yrs (colleges)Ages 25-34 (respondents)
California$61,271 (4)$60,915 (115)

College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.

Colleges where east asian languages (chinese / japanese / korean) graduates earn the most

In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 2 in Florida, 3 in Virginia, 23 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.

#CollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
1University of Southern CaliforniaCA$64,421—
2San Francisco State UniversityCA$61,603$14,108
3University of California-DavisCA$60,939$15,375
4University of California-Los AngelesCA$55,898$13,900
5Florida State UniversityFL$44,502$17,100

College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.

East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) degree questions

How much do East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) graduates make?

East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) graduates earn a median $52,010 four years after finishing, across 24 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $44,878 to $55,898; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in other foreign languages, the median is $48,881 (Census ACS 2020-2024).

Is a East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) degree worth it?

At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in other foreign languages earn a median $48,881: $13,168 less than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $13,243 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.

What jobs do East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) graduates get?

Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in other foreign languages, the most common jobs are elementary and middle school teachers (5%), other managers (3%), software developers (3%). Elementary And Middle School Teachers earn a U.S. median $64,170.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all degrees
Cite this: “East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/east-asian-languages-chinese-japanese-korean.