Major & Minor Requirements

Overview

At Washington University, the Linguistics program offers an undergraduate major and minor. The core of the Linguistics program focuses on the study of how languages are structured. Students examine how words are built from sounds, how sentences are built from words, and how all of this structure manages to communicate meaning. With a good understanding of these formal properties, students can pursue other questions about language. How does language change over time? Do diverse languages have more in common than meets the eye? What functions does language play in society? What is its relation to thought? What are its biological and psychological underpinnings? And just how do children manage to acquire language so well in the first place?

Linguistics takes a scientific approach to the study of language and develops skills in data analysis and scientific experimental methods. Linguistics students may or may not speak many languages, but they definitely will learn how to collect and analyze data about languages in an effort to answer these questions.

The Major in Linguistics

Total units required: 30 units, at least 24 of which must be from courses at the 300 level or higher

Required Courses: 18 units

Total units required: 30 units, at least 24 of which must be from courses at the 300 level or higher

Required courses: 18 units

Code

Title

Units

Ling 170D

Introduction to Linguistics

3

Ling 309

Syntactic Analysis

3

Ling 311

Introduction to Semantics

3

Ling 312

Phonetics

3

Ling 313

Phonological Analysis

3

Ling 317

Introduction to Computational Linguistics

3

Total Units

18

Elective Courses: 12 units

Students select 12 units from the courses listed below. At least 9 units must be at the 300 level or higher. At most 6 units may be drawn from Ling 499, and Ling 500 courses that are not home-based in the Linguistics program.

Code

Title

Units

Ling 148

First-Year Seminar: The Linguistics of Constructed Languages

3

Ling 225D

Latin and Greek in Current English

3

Ling 258

Methods in Linguistic Research

3

Ling 263

Linguistics for Legal Purposes

3

Ling 315

Morphology

3

Ling 320

Historical and Comparative Linguistics

3

Ling 339

Introduction to Sociolinguistics

3

Ling 340

Linguistic Pragmatics

3

Ling 341

Linguistic Diversity in the United States

3

Psych 358

Language Acquisition

3

Ling 396

Linguistics Seminar

3

Ling 396W

Linguistics Seminar: Writing Intensive

3

Ling 408

Psychology of Language

3

Ling 427

Computation and Learnability in Linguistic Theory

3

Ling 466

Second Language Acquisition

3

Ling 495

Senior Seminar in Linguistics: Metrical Stress Theory

3

Ling 499

Independent Work For Senior Honors

3-6

Ling 500

Independent Study

1-6

Course List

Under certain circumstances, students may count toward their major a limited number of relevant courses not listed here. Such circumstances include study abroad and preparation for a specialized capstone. A specific plan of study must be worked out in advance with the director of the Linguistics program.

Language Requirement

Majors should normally have foreign language competency equivalent to one year of study at the college level. Classes taken to fulfill this requirement do not normally count toward the 30 total units required for the major.

Capstone

Primary majors must complete a capstone project. This will normally be done during the senior year while taking Ling 320, Ling 495, Ling 499, or Ling 500. Students wishing to count Ling 500 for their capstone need to have their independent studies approved in advance by the director of the Linguistics program.

Senior Honors

Students with a university grade-point average of 3.65 or higher and a linguistics GPA of 3.65 or higher at the end of their junior year may apply to enter the honors program by submitting a proposal for a senior thesis. If admitted into the program, the student registers for 3 units of Ling 499 during each semester of the senior year. The student must complete the thesis and pass an oral defense by the middle of March of the senior year.

The Minor in Linguistics

Units required: 15 units, at least 9 of which must be from courses at the 300 level or higher

Required course: 3 units

Code

Title

Units

Ling 170D

Introduction to Linguistics

3

Course List

Elective Courses: 12 units

At least 6 units must come from the following list:

Code

Title

Units

Ling 309

Syntactic Analysis

3

Ling 311

Introduction to Semantics

3

Ling 312

Phonetics

3

Ling 313

Phonological Analysis

3

Ling 317

Introduction to Computational Linguistics

3

Course List

The remaining elective units may be drawn from any course acceptable as an elective for the major.

What Counts Towards Your Linguistics GPA

The Linguistics GPA is computed across all courses that you apply to your Linguistics major under Groups A, B, or C. This includes:

  • introductory classes, such as Ling 170D, as well as advanced courses
  • classes that are offered by other departments, such as Psychology or Philosophy, or other Washington University schools such as Medicine (PACS)
  • classes that double count for other majors or minors

The Linguistics GPA does not include any of the following:

  • classes that do not appear on your Washington University transcript
  • classes for which the official grade on your transcript is CR, NCR, I, W, R, L, Z, or N
  • classes taken at another university
  • classes applied only toward fulfillment of the foreign language requirement
  • classes that you do not apply toward your Linguistics major, even if they are listed under Linguistics (L44)

These exclusions are inflexible. For example, we cannot count a grade from another university even if you show us a transcript from that university, or even if it is part of a study abroad program sanctioned by Wash U.