What Can I do With a Degree in Applied Linguistics?
- Places of Employment
- Suggested Reading for Applied Linguistics Majors
- Vocational Biographies
- Professional Associations
- Internet Sites with Career-Related Information for Applied Linguistics Majors
- Internet Sites with Job Search Information for Applied Linguistics Majors
Places of Employment
Applied linguistics majors develop skills that are highly valued by employers. These skills include: critical thinking, research, analysis, oral/written communication, presentation, & problem solving skills. Students and alumni may find employment in government agencies, nonprofits, educational institutions, and businesses depending on their skills and experience. Internships or relevant part-time jobs may be a prerequisite to finding employment.
The following list of employers and job titles was derived from Advising and Career Services' jobs database where employers indicated an interest in recruiting students majoring in applied linguistics. This list does not reflect all potential places of employment or kinds of jobs for applied linguistics majors. This list does not reflect current openings.
- Abercrombie & Fitch – Manager in Training
- AIT Laboratories – Account Manager/Account Executive
- American Red Cross – Territory Representative
- Aon Corporation – Early Career Development Program Associate
- Book News – Editor
- Capital Financial Planners – Associate Investment Advisor/Financial Planner
- Cascadia Behavioral HealthCare – Behavioral Health Counselors
- CollegeNET – Sales Assistant
- Consolidated Federal Credit Union – Loan Servicing Specialist
- Crafts Americana Groups – Product Line/Brand Manager
- CTC Consulting – Research Analyst
- De La Salle North Catholic High School – Development Director
- De Paul Treatment Centers – Alumni Association Coordinator
- Dunkin and Bush – Junior Estimator
- ECONorthwest – Research Assistant
- Friends of the Children – Professional Mentor
- Frito-Lay – Sales Associate
- Girl Scouts, Columbia River Council – Community Program Coordinator
- Hacienda Community Development Corporation – Microenterprise Developer, Portland Mercado Project Associate
- Indian Health Service – Contract Specialist
- Inside Track – College Success Coach, College Admissions/Enrollment Coach
- Integral Consulting – Document Processing Specialist
- Intel – Strategic Program/Project Manager
- Intercall – Event Specialist
- IXL Learning – Educational Sales Consultant
- Kaiser Permanente – Healthcare Data Analyst
- Kaplan – Student Advisor
- KeyBank Oregon – Management Associate
- Kittelson & Associates – Project Management Assistant
- Knowledge Universe – Customer Relationship Specialist
- KOIN TV – News Director, Account Executive, Assignment Editor
- Language Line Translation Solutions – Project Manager
- Legacy Health System – Manager Employee Health
- Lutheran Community Services Northwest – New Youth Perspectives Bilingual Youth Specialist
- McCullough Research – Research Associate
- McKenzie Books – Human Resources Administrator
- Mercy Corps – Assistant Program Officer
- METRO – Assistant Transportation Planner
- Metropolitan Family Service – Family Involvement Coordinator, Assistant Transportation Planner
- Oregon Food Bank – Appeals & Proposals Developer, Donor Services Coordinator, Statewide Services Coordinator, Public Policy Advocate, Major Donor Manager
- Oregon Museum of Science & Industry – Executive Assistant (Development)
- Outside In – Housing Specialist
- Portland Business Alliance – Inside Sales Account Executive
- Impact Northwest – Resident Services Coordinator 1
- Portland VA Medical Center – Program Support Assistant, Research Assistant, Research Assistant 2
- PSU Admissions, Registration, & Records – Admissions Counselor, Program Support Assistant
- Schneider National – Fleet Manager
- Sherwin Williams – Management/Sales Trainee
- Sustainable Northwest – Policy Program Assistant
- The Hertz Corporation – Management Trainee
- The Nature Conservancy – Administrative Assistant
- Thetus Corporation – Training Developer
- Unitus Community Credit Union – Compliance Specialist
- Urban League of Portland – Academic Coach
- US Bank – Manager in Training, Relationship Manager
- Waggener Edstrom Worldwide – Account Executive
- Warm Springs Community Action Team – Healthy Foods Program Coordinator
- Wieden + Kennedy – Macintosh Support Technician
- YWCA of Greater Portland – Energy Assistance Coordinator
This is a list of jobs applied linguistics majors reported having at (or shortly after) graduation. This list was built from survey data published by colleges and universities across the United States. Advising & Career Services provides this list as a tool for generating ideas for exploration.
- Accountant for a law firm
- Activity Writer for a web hosting service
- Administrative Assistant for a company that provides support to charter schools
- Administrative Assistant for a nonprofit research organization
- Administrative Assistant for a university
- Advertising Effectiveness Analyst for an interactive media company
- Analyst for financial services provider
- Assistant for a talent agency
- Assistant Language Teacher for a Japanese cultural exchange program
- Assistant Language Teacher for a sister-city program
- Associate Support Engineer for a provider of internet-related products
- Biological Technician for a federal scientific agency
- Business Advisor for a bank
- Campaign Coordinator for a sales & marketing consulting firm
- Central Operations Administrator for a global accounting firm
- Communication Analyst for a human resources consulting firm
- Customer Training Consultant for a software company
- English as a Second Language Teacher for a standardized test prep company
- English Teacher for a Korean ministry of education-sponsored program
- English Teacher for a nonprofit that builds affordable housing
- English Teacher for cultural exchange program
- Executive Trainee for an apparel retailer
- Fixed Income Analyst for a global financial services firm
- Ground Operations Supervisor for an airline
- Lab Manager/Researcher for a university
- Lead Service Specialist for a global consumer electronics company
- Linguistic Annotator for a developer & manufacturer of software products
- Linguistic Annotator for high-tech company
- Outbound Administrator for a company the facilitates study abroad & student exchanges
- Outreach coordinator for an environmental nonprofit
- Paralegal for a law firm
- Parent Liaison for a high school
- Police officer for a city
- Political Officer for a US embassy
- Project Coordinator for a company specializing in language services
- Project Coordinator for a translation services company
- Project Manager for a public science center
- Publications Intern for a professional society for scientists
- Quality Assurance Consultant for a company that develops technology for call centers
- Reporter for a local newspaper
- Research Assistant for a medical research institute
- Research Associate for a university
- Sales Assistant for a bank
- Search Quality Associate for a provider of internet-related products
- Software Engineer for a travel website
- Staff Associate for an association management company
- Teacher for a school district
- Teacher for an educational nonprofit
- Teaching Assistant for a French cultural exchange program
- Ticket Seller for a ski resort
- Translator/English Teacher for a global professional services firm
- Underwriter for an integrated managed care consortium
- Video Search Associate for a web video search engine
- Web Editor for a university
- Writer for a law firm
For additional ideas, review this list of employers who posted jobs for students majoring in Arts and Letters:
- Beaverton School District — Web Developer
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Southwest Washington — Development Coordinator
- Buckle, The — Management Development Program
- Cadmus Group, Inc., The — Marketing Coordinator — Entry Level
- Calypte Biomedical Corporation — Business Development Analyst
- Catholic Community Services — Community Support Specialist
- City of Hillsboro — Volunteer Services Coordinator
- Cmedia-Respond2 Communications — Media Account Coordinator
- Consolidated Graphics — Leadership Development Program Associate
- Con-way Enterprise Services — Lead Instructional Designer/Usability Analyst
- Database Marketing Agency, Inc. (DMA) — Data Processing Analyst
- E3: Employers for Education Excellence — Administrative Coordinator
- ECONorthwest — Research Assistant
- First Investors Corporation — Financial Services Representative
- Fisher Investments — Account Executive
- Friends of the Children — Professional Mentors
- Fund for Public Interest Research, The — Canvass Director, Citizen Outreach
- Federal Bureau of Prisons — Correctional Officer
- Grassroots Campaigns, Inc. — Field Manager, Citizen Outreach Directors
- Hands to Hearts International — Research & Outreach Coordinator
- Harland Financial Solutions — Office Services Coordinator
- Hertz Corporation — Manager Trainee
- Human Services Council — Transportation Screener, Interpreter Services Screener
- Human Services Research Institute — Administrative Assistant
- Iberdrola Renewables — Trading Analyst
- InfiniSource, Inc. — High Tech Administrative Assistant
- Interaction Metrics — Research Lead: Research/Scoring and Presentations
- KATU Channel 2 Portland — News Reporter
- Knowledge Learning Corporation — Grants Coordinator
- Kohl's Department Stores — Store Management Trainee
- Korean American League for Civic Action (KALCA) — Executive Director
- Kraft Foods, Inc. — Operations Supervisor
- League of Oregon Cities — Intergovernmental Relations Assistant
- Legal Aid Services of Oregon — Administrator
- Massini Group — Database Marketing Specialist
- McKenzie River Trust — Director of Resources
- MENTOR Oregon — Direct Service Employee
- Miller & Zimmerly Real Estate Investment Group — Executive Assistant/Office Coordinator
- Multnomah County Sheriff's Office — Deputy Sheriff
- Multnomah County Sustainability Program — Waste Reduction & Recycling Plan Coordinator
- Nature Conservancy of Oregon, The — Administrative Assistant
- Newell Rubbermaid — National Account Specialist
- Northwestern Mutual Financial Network — Associate Pension Specialist
- Office of Mayor Sam Adams — Art and Culture Policy Coordinator
- Oregon After-school for Kids — Youth Development Network Coordinator
- Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) — Land Application and Licensing Manager
- Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) — Program Coordinator, Local Agency Construction Administration Liaison, Construction Contracts Specialist, Research Analyst, Inspector
- Oregon State Police — Oregon State Troopers
- Pacific Interpreters, Inc. — In-house scheduler/ Spanish Quality Assurance Specialist
- Physicians for Social Responsibility — Executive Director
- Pinemeadow Golf, Inc. — Marketing and Sales Representative
- Safeway, Inc. — Assistant Store Manager
- SAIF — Claims Adjuster Trainees, Claims Adjuster, Claims Adjuster Supervisor, Bilingual Claims Adjuster
- Standard, The — Communications Specialist I
- State Farm Insurance — Claim Representative, Underwriter
- State of Oregon — Research Analyst 4, Procurement & Contract Specialist 3
- Teach Abroad — Teacher in China
- TruGreen — LandCare Site Measurer
- Universal Forest Products — Production Manager Trainee, Sales Trainee
- University of Oregon (UO) — Assistant Director for Alumni Relations
- US Border Patrol — Border Patrol Agent
- US Census Bureau — Vietnamese Interpreter
- US Department of Veterans Affairs — Management Analyst
- US Postal Service — Associate Account Manager
- Volunteers of America — Child Care Supervisor, Toddler Interventionist
- Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services — Home Ownership Program Assistant
- Yahoo! — Client Advocate
- Zones, Inc. — Account Executive
Advising & Career Services Library Resources
The Advising & Career Services Library has a variety of resources to help students explore potential career fields. These resources include information about typical responsibilities, qualifications, career paths, job outlook, salary, and related careers.
Suggested Reading for Applied Linguistics Majors and TESL Certificates
- Teaching English Abroad
- 100 Jobs in Words
- Careers for Foreign Language Aficionados & Other Multilingual Types
- Jobs for People who Love Travel
- Transitions Abroad
Books of General Interest to Liberal Arts Majors
- Great Jobs for Liberal Arts Majors
- The Best Jobs for the 21st Century
- The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People
- Making a Living While Making a Difference
Vocational Biographies
Vocational Biographies describes the career success stories of 1001 real people. Search by career title, keyword, topic, and career cluster. Username: Portland su and pass code: 3w9n
- Dialect Coach
- Teacher of English as a Foreign Language
- Interpreter/Translator
- Technical Writer
- Technical Copy Editor
- Electronic Lexicographer
- Documentation Training Manager
- American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL)
- Linguistic Society of America (LSA)
- Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
- Oregon Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ORTESOL)
- Modern Language Association (MLA) ONLINE
Internet Sites with Career-Related Information for Applied Linguistics Majors and TESL Certificates
- Career Opportunity Briefs: Linguistics — Lists potential job titles, places of employment, and skills for linguistics majors. From University Career and Employment Services at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
- English as 2nd Language — From Kenneth Beare for About.com.
Internet Sites with Job Search Information for Applied Linguistics Majors and TESL Certificates
- LINGUIST Jobs in Linguistics — Majority of jobs listed require advanced degrees.
- Directory of Work Abroad Web Sites (Worldwide Sites), Region-Specific Sites for Work and Study Abroad, Profession-Specific Sites for Work and Study Abroad, and International Job Listings — From the Overseas Opportunities Office, International Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- The ESL Job Center — From Dave Sperling, author of Dave's ESL Cafe.
- Internet TESL Journal
- JET Programme
Miscellaneous
- Work Abroad — Collection of articles from Transitions Abroad.
- Institute of International Education - Fulbright — Information about applying for Fulbright Student and Scholar Programs.
- Duke University International Careers Page — Provides answers to questions such as: Can I qualify for an international opportunity overseas?, Can I qualify for an international opportunity in the U.S.?, How can I improve my chances for an international career?. Also provides general information about Teaching Overseas.
- The Electronic Embassy — "The Electronic Embassy provides information on each of the embassies in Washington D.C., with links to Web-based resources where available."
- Peace Corps Masters International (PCMI) at Portland State University
Department of Applied Linguistics — Portland State University
