Undergraduate Programs
Get Involved in Linguistics!
There are lots of great opportunities to get involved while you're a student in linguistics, including events, clubs, collaboration research projects with faculty, study abroad and career-building opportunities, and more!
Linguistics Major, Minor, & Certificates
We offer a Linguistics Major and Minor, a Computational Linguistics Certificate, and a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certificate. Students study the structural properties of a variety of languages, including the sounds of languages and meaning. They also explore how languages can vary, how they are used in different contexts, and how they are acquired by children and adults. Students learn to apply the results of their studies to real-world issues, and they achieve a greater understanding of the human mind. In the TESOL certificate courses, students take what they learn from language analysis and apply it to the domain of teaching and learning languages. With a strong theoretical and practical basis, students are prepared to be effective teachers.
major map Program Learning Outcomes Why Major in Linguistics? LINGUISTICS CAREERS
Linguistics Major Requirements
36 credit hours - 12 courses
Linguistics Foundation Course
Complete all of the following:
LING 2200: Introduction to the Study of Language
Linguistics Core Courses
Complete all of the following:
LING 3010: Intro to Phonetics/Phonology
LING 3020: Intro to Syntax
LING 4011 OR LING 4021
LING 5900: Capstone
Electives
Complete the following:
(6 credit hours) 1000+ or 2000+ LING Electives
(6 credit hours) 3000+ LING Electives
(6 credit hours) 4000+ or 5000+ LING Electives
(3 credit hours) 5000+ LING Electives
BA Language Requirement
Complete the following:
Course work equivalent to at least fourth semester (2020 level) in either a foreign language or sign language.
BS Methods Requirement
Complete the following:
One QI or one DI course (covered by LING 3010)
Other Requirements
Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in the major courses and no grade below a C- will count toward the major.
The Department of Linguistics reserves the right to substitute one course for another.
Students must take at least 50% of the coursework (18 credits) at the University of Utah. Any credit for courses transferred from another institution must be approved by the undergraduate advisor.
Please email ling-advising@utah.edu from your umail to declare Linguistics as a major.
Download Major Requirements Sheet Sample linguistics BA 4-yr plan catalog year 2024 Sample linguistics BS 4-yr plan catalog year 2024
Linguistics Minor Requirements
18 credit hours - 6 courses
Linguistics Foundation Course
Complete all of the following:
LING 2200: Introduction to the Study of Language
Theory Courses
Complete two of the following:
LING 3010: Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology
LING 3020: Introduction to Syntax
Electives
Complete three courses not from the Foundation or Theory courses above. One course must be above 5000.
5000-Level Course
Complete 1 course:
LING 5000 - 5999
Additional Courses
Complete 2 courses:
- LING 3000 – 5999
- LING 1000 – 5999
Other Requirements
Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in the minor; no grade below a C- will count toward the minor
Minors must take 9 credit hours (50% of the coursework for the minor) at the University of Utah.
To satisfy a specific requirement for the Linguistics minor, any credit for courses transferred from another university must be approved by the undergraduate advisor as fully equivalent to a course offered in the Linguistics Program.
Please email ling-advising@utah.edu from your umail to declare Linguistics as a minor.
Computational Linguistics Certificate Requirements
27 credit hours - 9 courses
This undergraduate certificate is designed to help students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a career path in an area of technology known alternatively as Computational Linguistics and Natural Language Processing (NLP). This is the science behind machine translation, text-to-speech, speech recognition, and many other important applications.
Course Requirements
LING 2200: Intro to the Study of Language
CS 1410: Intro to Object-Oriented Programming [1]
CS 2420: Intro to Algorithms & Data Structures
CS 3100: Models of Computation [2]
CS 3500: Software Practice
LING 3010: Intro to Phonetics and Phonology OR
LING 3020: Intro to Syntax OR
LING 4030: Semantics OR
LING 5190: Psycholinguistics
LING 2300: Computers and Language OR
CS 3505: Software Practice II [3]
CS 5340: Natural Language Processing [3]
LING 5300: Computational Linguistics
[1] CS 1410 has the following chain of prerequisites, some of which may be waived by passing a screening test: MATH 1050 College Algebra, MATH 1060 Trigonometry, CS 1030 Foundations of Computer Science, and CS 1210 Calculus 1.
[2] CS 3100 has a prerequisite of CS 2100 Discrete Structures, which may be waived by demonstrating knowledge of finite-state machines.
[3] CS 5340 has a prerequisite of CS 3505.
No grade below a C- will count toward the Linguistics course requirements above.
Please fill out this form to declare a Computational Linguistics Certificate.
Download COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS CERTIFICATe Requirements Sheet
TESOL Certificate Requirements
21 credit hours - 7 courses
Writing Course
WRTG 2010
TESOL Introductory Course
LING 2200: Intro to the Study of Language
TESOL Courses
Complete all of the following:
LING 2600: Cross-Cultural CommunicationDV
LING 3220: World Englishes IR
LING 3500: Intro to English Grammar
LING 5810: L2 Methodology (Coreq: LING 2200)
LING 5813: Practicum (Prereq: LING 5810)
TESOL Language Requirement
Complete a beginning level foreign language course. May be taken within two years prior to entering the program. Should include at least 30 classroom hours in foreign language instruction.
Other Requirements
No grade below a C- will count toward the Linguistics course requirements above.
Non-native English speakers must have a minimum TOEFL score of 80 iBT or better, or a minimum IELTS band score of 6.5 or better.
Students are allowed to retake no more than one required TESOL certificate course for grade improvement.
Students may count one transferred course toward the TESOL certificate. Transferred courses must be approved by the undergraduate advisor. The Department of Linguistics reserves the right to substitute one course for another.
The purpose of language requirement is to provide students with a recent experience of basic foreign language classroom instruction.
All students wishing to receive the TESOL certificate must pay a non-refundable processing fee of $55.
Students must notify the academic advisor of certificate completion two months before the last day of classes of the semester which the student completes the certificate.
Please fill out this form to declare a TESOL Certificate.
