Linguistics

The BA in Linguistics General Concentration provides a scientific exploration into the study of human language. Throughout the program, you will be exposed to courses that outline the theoretical foundations in this field as well as practical application of problem-solving in linguistics. The goal of the Linguistics major general concentration is to give you a better understanding of what human language is, how we learn it, and how we use it.

The major surveys a number of core subfields in linguistics, including sounds (phonetics), sound systems (phonology), sentence structure (syntax), and meaning formation (semantics/pragmatics). Through a series of required and elective courses, you will develop strong analytical skills relevant for career paths in language research, technology, education, business, as well as clinical applications such as speech language pathology.

See the curriculum.

The Linguistics major with a concentration in Language Engineering is for students interested in the intersection of language and computer science. Language engineering teaches the skills needed to improve human-computer interactions, such as speech and voice recognition, predictive text, voice-command interfaces, voice-command interfaces, spelling and grammar checkers, machine translation, document summarization, search algorithms, and text-to-speech synthesis. 

In the program, you will explore the structure and semantics of natural languages alongside computational methods for processing, analyzing and generating language data. The concentration will prepare you for jobs in the growing field of language technology by teaching the technical parts of linguistics needed for language-related roles in the tech industry. 

See the curriculum.

Open to students of any major, the Linguistics minor is an 18-credit program with one required course, Introduction to General Linguistics, and five additional courses that you can choose yourself. 

The Minor in Linguistics will give you a comprehensive introduction to the scientific study of language. Through a combination of theoretical inquiry and practical application, you will explore the structure and use of human language. 

Core courses cover fundamental topics such as phonetics, phonology, syntax, and semantics, providing a solid foundation for understanding linguistic principles. With elective options ranging from computational linguistics to second language acquisition, you can tailor your minor to align with your interests and career goals. This minor enhances critical thinking skills, analytical abilities, and cross-cultural understanding, preparing you for diverse career paths in fields such as communication, education, and technology, as well as clinical applications such as speech language pathology. 

See the curriculum.

BA in Linguistics with Teacher Certification in English as a Second Language (Preschool-Grade 12) 

This program combines the required courses for the BA in Linguistics with those required for Teacher Certification in ESL for grades P-12. Linguistics majors who wish to obtain the TESL certification must apply and be admitted to the Teacher Education Program. Once admitted, students will be matriculated into the BA in Secondary Education program as a second major. 

Please visit the Teacher Education Program website for the required professional sequence of courses and other important Program requirements, guidelines, and procedures. 

Students are strongly advised to review the Teacher Education Program Handbook. Students must have a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 in their Linguistics courses and a 3.0 GPA overall to be admitted to this program. The TESL methods course required for the Teacher Education Professional Sequence is LNGN 403. In addition, students must pass the ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview and the Writing Proficiency Test with a score of at least Advanced-mid prior to the Student Teaching semester. 

See the curriculum.

Combined BA/MAT with Teacher Certification in English as a Second Language (Preschool-Grade 12) and Teacher of Students with Disabilities 

A Combined Degree program enables undergraduate students to enroll in graduate courses in their senior year, which can be counted toward the completion of both their bachelor's and master's degree requirements. The ability to take these "swing courses" allows students to earn both their bachelor's and master's degrees in a shortened period of time, typically within five years. 

See the curriculum.