LIN_BA - Linguistics

About this Program

• College: Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Degree: Bachelor of Arts
• Credits for Degree: 120
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To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.

Linguists study one of the central aspects of being human: the ability to communicate through language. Language shapes and is used in our societies in fundamental and profound ways. Linguists systematically examine a range of questions that help build scientific knowledge and address practical matters in our societies relating to language. How linguists study human language is varied, from multiple theoretical perspectives to diverse research methods. While the traditional core includes investigating the sounds, structure, and semantics of human languages, linguistics also investigates how people acquire language and use language in context, how languages are processed in the brain, how languages can be documented and revitalized, and how computers can be trained to understand and use language. The diversity of the field of linguistics is appealing due to the ability to study deeply within one area or broadly across several.

Requirements for the Major

Students must earn minimum grades of C within two attempts in a minimum of 33 credits.

Required Coursework

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Students should enroll in an experience for 3 credit hours but may opt for 0-2 credit hours if needed, although the student effort during the semester will remain the equivalent of 3 credit hours. For students who complete a Quest 3/ELAR for 0-2 credits, they will need an additional Linguistics elective to earn the required 24 credits of Linguistics Major Electives. To fulfill the Quest 3/UF Experiential Learning Academic Requirement (Q3/ELAR), students will pursue experiential learning in the form of internships or co-ops, global engagement/study abroad, community/public service, undergraduate research, or design competitions. Students should consult with department faculty to learn more about opportunities available to Linguistics students.

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Up to 6 of the 9 credits may come from language-related courses OR a two-semester sequence of a non-Romance or non-Germanic language. (No more than six 6 language credits will apply to the major.)

Consult the undergraduate coordinator or program director for emphasis areas and electives. Courses must be completed at UF; if taken at another accredited university, they must be approved by the department.

Required Core Courses | 9 Credits

Linguistics Electives | 15-24 Credits

Linguistics Electives Offered by Other Departments | Up to 9 Credits

Language-Related or Foreign Language Courses

Up to 6 Credits may Apply to Electives

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Students must complete two consecutive semesters of the same language for the courses to count towards the major. Appropriate languages include: Akan, American Sign Language, Amharic, Arabic, Czech, Chinese, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Lingala, Polish, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, Vietnamese, Wolof, and Yoruba.

Combination Degree Program

Linguistics offers a combination-degree program that allows students to obtain a BA and an MA in five years.

Students enroll in four graduate courses in their senior year that count toward both the BA and MA degrees:

Students need to apply by February 15 of the Spring semester of their junior year.

Course Details

Linguistics offers a variety of courses and students are free to pick any combination.

Suggested Specializations

Theoretical Linguistics

Covering the theory of sounds (phonology), word structure (morphology), sentences (syntax), and meaning (semantics).

Human Language Processing

Dealing with how language is processed in the mind and brain.

Sociolinguistics

Dealing with how language works in society.

Language Acquisition and Teaching

Dealing with how people acquire a second language and how teachers can teach second languages.

Corpus/Computational Linguistics

Dealing with how computers can be used to analyze language use.

Overseas Studies

Some study abroad programs that offer linguistics courses are the University of Mannheim (Germany), University of Haifa (Israel), University of Madrid (Spain), and the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands). For more information and programs, contact the linguistics undergraduate advisor.

Relevant Minors and Certificates

Linguistics students may want to consider a minor or certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language.
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Research

Students are encouraged to engage in individual study with a faculty member or to volunteer in a laboratory.
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