Linguistics Professor

Teaches college linguistics and researches language.

A day in the life

Teaches how languages are related through history, then works with grad students on recording a disappearing dialect.

Pay over a career

Starting

$55k

Typical

$85k

High

$145k

Estimate.

Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.

Training

Doctorate (PhD), about 11 years after high school. A bachelor's in linguistics, then a PhD in linguistics and often a postdoc or visiting role before a faculty job.

Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.

Majors to look at: Linguistics.

Outlook

Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years). Estimate.

Will it last? Our AI estimate

Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI helps prepare classes and analyze data; teaching, mentoring and fieldwork stay human.

Start now, in high school

Classes: A world language, AP English Language, AP Psychology.

• Compete in NACLO
• Tutor younger students
• Do an AP Research project on language

Official data: O*NET occupation 25-1199.

More Linguistics & Language Science careers

• Research Linguist
• Computational Linguist / NLP Engineer
• Forensic Linguist
• Conversation Designer
• Speech Scientist
• Speech-Language Pathologist
• Lexicographer
• Field Linguist (Language Documentation)
• Language Revitalization Specialist
• Dialect Coach
• Brand Naming Consultant
• AI Language Data Specialist
• Court Reporter / Real-Time Captioner
• Bible / Literacy Translator (Mission)
• Speech-Language Pathology Assistant
• Transcriptionist
• Sociolinguist
• Constructed Language Creator
• Pronunciation Specialist
• Plain Language Specialist

Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.