Minor in Linguistics

The School of Modern Languages in partnership with the School of Psychology and School of Interactive Computing offers an undergraduate minor in linguistics (parallel to the Certificate, but with one more course).

This interdisciplinary minor (15 credit hours total) connects studies of the physical structures and mental processes involved in human language; the psychological and social factors that enable humans to acquire, use, comprehend and produce language; and the application of computer science to language and technology.

A compelling complement to the study of computer science, psychology, or a specific foreign language, the Minor is designed for undergraduates who have an interest in theoretical or applied linguistics, culture, psychology, or language technology; and for students who will enter a wide range of careers, such as language education, educational design, language technology, and human/computer interaction.

All courses must be taken on a letter-grade basis and a grade of C or better must be received in each course.  9 of the 15 credit hours must be at the 3000 level or above; no more than 6 credit hours (two courses) may be Special Topics.

It is often difficult to "double-count" courses taken towards the Minor with those taken for one's Major.  Please contact an academic advisor in your Major program of study for more information.

Core requirements - 3 hours

LING 2100 - Introduction to Linguistics

Electives (choose four) - 12 hours

  • Any LING course(s)
    • For example: LING 3100 (Applications of Linguistics); LING 4015 (Advanced Topics in Language Processing)

  • Any foreign-language Modern Languages course(s) substantially involving linguistics content (to be approved by the Linguistics Coordinator)
    •  For example: German/French/Spanish/Japanese Applied Linguistics; French Phonetics; Kaleidoscope of Chinese Language; Spanish Sociolinguistics; Bilingualism in the Spanish-Speaking World, etc.
    • Such courses may have pre-requisites.

  • At most ONE Psychology course substantially involving linguistics content (to be approved by the Linguistics Coordinator)
    •  For example: PSYC 2760 (Human Language Processing); PSYC 3012 (Intro to Cognitive Psychology). 
    • Such courses may have pre-requisites.

  • At most ONE Computer Science course substantially involving linguistics content (to be approved by the Linguistics Coordinator)
    • For example: Natural Language Processing. 
    • Such courses may have pre-requisites.

  • At most ONE linguistics course taught at another accredited university (with approval of the Linguistics Coordinator)

  • No more than TWO (6 credit hours) of Special Topics