Best Foreign Language programs in Texas, ranked by enrollment
Teach languages and literature courses in languages other than English. Includes teachers of American Sign Language (ASL).
57 schools in Texas run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,540 people a year. The job pays a median of $75,090 in Texas across about 1,460 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Texas that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
27 programs in Texas that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Texas (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Texas page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 16.0905In Texas → | 463 | 30.1% | 41 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 2 | CIP 16.0908In Texas → | 377 | 24.5% | 2 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 3 | CIP 16.0101In Texas → | 141 | 9.2% | 16 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 4 | CIP 16.0102In Texas → | 134 | 8.7% | 7 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 5 | CIP 16.0302In Texas → | 96 | 6.2% | 3 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 6 | CIP 16.0103In Texas → | 61 | 4.0% | 6 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 7 | CIP 16.0501In Texas → | 59 | 3.8% | 7 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 8 | CIP 16.1200In Texas → | 39 | 2.5% | 7 | — | $22,560 |
| 9 | CIP 16.0901In Texas → | 32 | 2.1% | 8 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 10 | CIP 16.1601In Texas → | 27 | 1.8% | 3 | $32,695 | $25,209 |
| 11 | CIP 16.0105In Texas → | 23 | 1.5% | 2 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 12 | CIP 16.0300In Texas → | 16 | 1.0% | 1 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 13 | CIP 13.1330In Texas → | 11 | 0.7% | 5 | $43,033 | $26,044 |
| 14 | CIP 16.1103In Texas → | 10 | 0.6% | 3 | $48,355 | $15,526 |
| 15 | CIP 16.0900In Texas → | 9 | 0.6% | 1 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 16 | CIP 16.0500In Texas → | 7 | 0.5% | 1 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 17 | CIP 16.1203In Texas → | 7 | 0.5% | 2 | — | $22,560 |
| 18 | CIP 16.0402In Texas → | 6 | 0.4% | 3 | $60,240 | $5,500 |
| 19 | CIP 16.0902In Texas → | 6 | 0.4% | 4 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 20 | CIP 16.0999In Texas → | 4 | 0.3% | 1 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 21 | CIP 16.0301In Texas → | 3 | 0.2% | 2 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 22 | CIP 16.1100In Texas → | 3 | 0.2% | 1 | $48,355 | $15,526 |
| 23 | CIP 16.1101In Texas → | 2 | 0.1% | 2 | $48,355 | $15,526 |
| 24 | CIP 16.0303In Texas → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 25 | CIP 16.0904In Texas → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 26 | CIP 16.1202In Texas → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | — | $22,560 |
| 27 | CIP 16.1299In Texas → | 1 | 0.1% | 1 | — | $22,560 |
Top 25 schools in Texas
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 57 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 11 feeder programs | 598 | Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | $34,929 | 89% | — | 27% |
| 2 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 86 | Language Interpretation and Translation | $30,895 | 54% | — | 80% |
| 3 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 84 | Linguistics | $20,522 | 61% | — | 72% |
| 4 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 78 | Foreign Languages and Literatures, General | — | 69% | — | 73% |
| 5 | Austin Community College District Austin, TX Public · 10 feeder programs | 67 | Spanish Language and Literature | $30,111 | 20% | — | — |
| 6 | Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 54 | Spanish Language and Literature | $34,649 | 80% | $35,682 | 51% |
| 7 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 46 | Foreign Languages and Literatures, General | — | 53% | — | 87% |
| 8 | The University of Texas Permian Basin Odessa, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Spanish Language and Literature | — | 40% | — | 95% |
| 9 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 36 | Spanish Language and Literature | $35,781 | 55% | — | 89% |
| 10 | The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 34 | Linguistics | $26,475 | 50% | — | 100% |
| 11 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 34 | Spanish Language and Literature | — | 65% | — | 74% |
| 12 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 32 | Spanish Language and Literature | $27,138 | 51% | — | 94% |
| 13 | East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 31 | Applied Linguistics | — | 43% | — | 92% |
| 14 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 25 | Spanish Language and Literature | $57,858 | 84% | $33,246 | 63% |
| 15 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 22 | Foreign Languages and Literatures, General | — | 84% | — | 57% |
| 16 | Blinn College District Brenham, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Foreign Languages and Literatures, General | — | 11% | — | — |
| 17 | Rice University Houston, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 17 | Linguistics | — | 95% | $13,264 | 8% |
| 18 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 15 | Spanish Language and Literature | — | 86% | $25,823 | 44% |
| 19 | Trinity University San Antonio, TX Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 15 | Spanish Language and Literature | — | 84% | $20,327 | 26% |
| 20 | Houston City College Houston, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 14 | Language Interpretation and Translation | — | 17% | — | — |
| 21 | Lamar University Beaumont, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 14 | American Sign Language (ASL) | $27,330 | 37% | — | 86% |
| 22 | University of North Texas at Dallas Dallas, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Spanish Language and Literature | — | 42% | — | 84% |
| 23 | University of Dallas Irving, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 11 | Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | — | 73% | $20,960 | 53% |
| 24 | El Paso Community College El Paso, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | American Sign Language (ASL) | — | 24% | — | — |
| 25 | Texas A & M International University Laredo, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 10 | Spanish Language and Literature | — | 46% | — | 44% |
All 57 schools in Texas
Every school in Texas with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin | Public | 598 | 11 |
| The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington | Public | 86 | 5 |
| University of North Texas | Denton | Public | 84 | 5 |
| Texas Tech University | Lubbock | Public | 78 | 4 |
| Austin Community College District | Austin | Public | 67 | 10 |
| Baylor University | Waco | Private not-for-profit | 54 | 5 |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio | Public | 46 | 3 |
| The University of Texas Permian Basin | Odessa | Public | 42 | 1 |
| Texas State University | San Marcos | Public | 36 | 3 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso | Public | 34 | 2 |
| University of Houston | Houston | Public | 34 | 5 |
| The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg | Public | 32 | 2 |
| East Texas A&M University | Commerce | Public | 31 | 2 |
| Southern Methodist University | Dallas | Private not-for-profit | 25 | 5 |
| Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station | Public | 22 | 3 |
What foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary earn in Texas
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $79,350. Texas pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Texas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a Foreign Language
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Texas
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary18 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 13.1306Foreign Language Teacher Education
- 13.1325French Language Teacher Education
- 13.1326German Language Teacher Education
- 13.1330Spanish Language Teacher Education
- 13.1333Latin Teacher Education
- 16.0101Foreign Languages and Literatures, General
- 16.0102Linguistics
- 16.0103Language Interpretation and Translation
- 16.0105Applied Linguistics
- 16.0201African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
- 16.0300East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
- 16.0301Chinese Language and Literature
- 16.0302Japanese Language and Literature
- 16.0303Korean Language and Literature
- 16.0304Tibetan Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0399East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
- 16.0400Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
- 16.0401Baltic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics(no graduates reported)
- 16.0402Russian Language and Literature
- 16.0404Albanian Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0405Bulgarian Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0406Czech Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0407Polish Language and Literature
- 16.0408Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian Languages and Literatures(no graduates reported)
- 16.0409Slovak Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
Common questions
Answers for people weighing foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary programs in Texas.
What degree do you need to become a Foreign Language?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Spanish Language and Literature, which awarded 463 degrees in Texas in 2024-25, 30.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Foreign Language?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 27 programs to this occupation. The largest are Romance Languages, Linguistic, East Asian Languages, Germanic Languages, plus 5 more. Together they graduate about 1,540 people a year in Texas.
How much do foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary earn in Texas?+
The median is $75,090 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.4% below the U.S. median of $79,350. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a -0.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 1,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Texas?+
57 institutions in Texas reported graduates from at least one of the 27 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, French Professor, Spanish Professor, Spanish Instructor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1124.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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