List of All U.S. Colleges With a Linguistics Major
“Linguist,” like many English words, originates from the Latin lingua, for language. This root splintered into the English vocabulary in the late 16th century, but not before also appearing in the Spanish lengua and Catalan llengua, for tongue. Linguistics explores stories like these, and this wide-spanning social science pushes its students even further. In short, linguistics is the study of languages, how they function, and how humans have learned to communicate with them. In long, linguistics is multifaceted and broad in scope, covering everything from Mandarin to ASL to Python. Linguists break down language acquisition, phonetics, phonology, syntactic theory, history, and more. This field is one of niches and subdisciplines. Computational linguists build analytical models outlining the structure of natural language to answer linguistic questions. They stay as objective and scientific as possible, but with language’s heavily psychological and historical backing, some things get lost in translation. For example, the true origin of the word “walrus” in Dutch vs. Old Norse is hotly contested. Such unanswered questions push some linguistics students to conduct field research, often concerning fast-disappearing languages in faraway countries. Interested in this major? Here, we’ll break down which colleges offer linguistics programs and what to look for in a school. Course requirements will vary depending on the college, but linguistics majors will likely cover many of these key subjects: Many assume that linguists must either be current polyglots or aspiring ones, but in truth, you don’t have to know a ton of languages to be successful in this major. Instead, strong linguistics students are typically curious about history, psychology, and computer science. They like to explain big concepts using diagrams and maps, and they’re genuinely curious about languages, especially their own. They like puns, Scrabble, and speaking with those from different countries. Successful students in this major are strong verbal and written communicators. They’re often at least somewhat scientifically-minded and skilled in research and analysis. The linguistics degree opens up a wide array of jobs, many of them in education and academia. Graduates commonly become teachers, professors, librarians, and researchers. Those with a particular interest in speech and sound become speech therapists, speech language pathologists, and audiologists. There’s some overlap between the potential jobs for linguistics, English, and communications majors; technical writing, copywriting, editing, marketing, and public relations are popular paths for linguistics majors with a communications bent. Perhaps surprisingly, linguists make great consultants and forensic linguistics within the criminal justice system. A few even work for the FBI! The likelihood of graduate school wholly depends on your career interests; a linguistics bachelor’s neither inherently pulls you towards graduate school nor guarantees that you’ll get where you want to go without it. While bilingualism isn’t mandatory for this major, immersing yourself in a new language will only enhance your understanding of diverse languages and the links between them. If you feel that studying abroad will enhance your learning experience, look into your potential colleges’ offerings in this area and see if they allow you to travel to the countries which interest you. UCLA, for example, is part of the UC Education Abroad Program, which offers programs in 42 countries. For those planning on grad school, research is a fantastic way to expand one’s knowledge and resume. Linguistics research often involves using auditory and digital equipment to record sound and written records. The University of Chicago’s Sapir Scholars Program creates a symbiotic relationship between graduate students and undergrads; linguistics majors are paired with graduate students to work as assistants for them on their independent research projects in exchange for a small stipend. Clubs and professional fraternities are fantastic places to mingle and network with like-minded individuals. This is especially important if you’re seeking to make connections within a large university or one in which linguistics is an uncommon major. Schools like UCLA work hard to keep their students in the humanities engaged; their Bruin Linguists Society hosts quarterly events providing their linguistics majors with academic, social, and career support. [amp-cta id="9459"] School Name City State University of Alaska Fairbanks | UAF Fairbanks Alaska University of Arizona Tucson Arizona University of California, Riverside | UC Riverside Riverside California University of California, Irvine | UC Irvine Irvine California Pomona College Claremont California Harvey Mudd College | HMC Claremont California Pitzer College Claremont California University of California, San Diego | UCSD La Jolla California Scripps College Claremont California University of California, Santa Cruz | UCSC Santa Cruz California California State University, Northridge | CSUN Northridge California University of California, Santa Barbara | UCSB Santa Barbara California California State University, Fullerton | CSU Fullerton Fullerton California Stanford University Stanford California San Diego State University | SDSU San Diego California California State University, Long Beach | Long Beach State Long Beach California California State University, Fresno | CSU Fresno Fresno California University of California, Davis | UC Davis Davis California University of California, Berkeley | UC Berkeley Berkeley California San Jose State University | SJSU San Jose California University of California, Los Angeles | UCLA Los Angeles California University of Southern California | USC Los Angeles California University of Colorado Boulder | CU Boulder Boulder Colorado University of Saint Joseph West Hartford Connecticut University of Connecticut | UConn Storrs Connecticut Yale University New Haven Connecticut University of Delaware Newark Delaware Florida Atlantic University | FAU Boca Raton Florida University of Florida Gainesville Florida University of Georgia Athens Georgia Emory University Atlanta Georgia Georgia State University Atlanta Georgia University of Idaho Moscow Idaho Northwestern University Evanston Illinois University of Chicago Chicago Illinois Southern Illinois University Carbondale | SIU Carbondale Illinois University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | UIUC Champaign Illinois Indiana University Bloomington | Indiana Bloomington Indiana Earlham College Richmond Indiana Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana Iowa State University Ames Iowa University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa University of Kansas Lawrence Kansas University of Kentucky Lexington Kentucky Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland College Park Maryland Brandeis University Waltham Massachusetts Boston College | BC Chestnut Hill Massachusetts Gordon College Wenham Massachusetts Harvard University Cambridge Massachusetts Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts Boston University | BU Boston Massachusetts Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT Cambridge Massachusetts Salem State University Salem Massachusetts University of Massachusetts Amherst | UMass Amherst Amherst Massachusetts University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan Eastern Michigan University | EMU Ypsilanti Michigan Calvin College Grand Rapids Michigan Michigan State University East Lansing Michigan Wayne State University | WSU Detroit Michigan Oakland University Rochester Hills Michigan Bethel University Saint Paul Minnesota Macalester College Saint Paul Minnesota University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota Carleton College Northfield Minnesota University of Minnesota Duluth | UMD Duluth Minnesota University of Mississippi | Ole Miss University Mississippi Truman State University | TSU Kirksville Missouri University of Missouri | Mizzou Columbia Missouri Washington University in St. Louis | WashU Saint Louis Missouri University of Montana Missoula Montana Wayne State College Wayne Nebraska University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV Las Vegas Nevada University of New Hampshire | UNH Durham New Hampshire Dartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire Caldwell University Caldwell New Jersey Montclair State University | MSU Montclair New Jersey Rutgers University—New Brunswick | Rutgers New Brunswick New Jersey Princeton University Princeton New Jersey Rowan University Glassboro New Jersey University of New Mexico | UNM Albuquerque New Mexico Brooklyn College Brooklyn New York The State University of New York at Stony Brook | SUNY Stony Brook Stony Brook New York Cornell University Ithaca New York University of Rochester Rochester New York The State University of New York at Albany | SUNY Albany Albany New York Hofstra University Hempstead New York Syracuse University Syracuse New York The State University of New York at Binghamton | SUNY Binghamton Vestal New York New York University | NYU New York New York Barnard College New York New York Columbia University New York New York City College of New York | CCNY New York New York Appalachian State University Boone North Carolina Duke University Durham North Carolina University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | UNC Chapel Hill North Carolina University of North Carolina Asheville Asheville North Carolina Youngstown State University Youngstown Ohio Kent State University Kent Ohio Ohio University Athens Ohio Ohio State University | OSU Columbus Ohio Miami University Oxford Ohio Cleveland State University | CSU Cleveland Ohio University of Toledo Toledo Ohio University of Oklahoma Norman Oklahoma University of Oregon Eugene Oregon Reed College Portland Oregon Portland State University | PSU Portland Oregon Haverford College Haverford Pennsylvania St. Joseph’s University | SJU Philadelphia Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania Swarthmore College Swarthmore Pennsylvania Bucknell University Lewisburg Pennsylvania University of Pittsburgh | Pitt Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Carnegie Mellon University | CMU Pittsburgh Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania | UPenn Philadelphia Pennsylvania Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania Brown University Providence Rhode Island Carson-Newman University Jefferson City Tennessee Johnson University Knoxville Tennessee Union University Jackson Tennessee University of North Texas | UNT Denton Texas University of Houston Houston Texas Rice University Houston Texas University of Texas at Austin | UT Austin Austin Texas Baylor University Waco Texas University of Texas at El Paso | UTEP El Paso Texas University of Texas at Arlington | UT Arlington Arlington Texas Brigham Young University | BYU Provo Utah Weber State University Ogden Utah University of Utah Salt Lake City Utah Bennington College Bennington Vermont Middlebury College Middlebury Vermont University of Vermont | UVM Burlington Vermont Washington State University | WSU Pullman Washington Western Washington University | WWU Bellingham Washington University of Washington Seattle Washington Seattle Pacific University | SPU Seattle Washington Georgetown University Washington DC Washington DC Gallaudet University Washington DC Washington DC Trinity Washington University Washington DC Washington DC Lawrence University Appleton Wisconsin University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin Madison Wisconsin University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | UWM Milwaukee Wisconsin Notice a school that’s missing? Email us and let us know! No matter your major, you must be academically comparable to previous years’ admits to be a competitive college applicant. Most selective schools use the Academic Index, a complex tool based on your grades, test scores, and class rankings, to evaluate academic aptitude and filter out students who don’t meet their standards. The qualitative aspects of your application, like your essays and extracurriculars, are your place to show who you are and demonstrate fit with your chosen schools and major. Linguistics is a bit of a niche field, but you can still pursue your passion for it in high school with enough creativity. Join a foreign language club, self-teach, or take a foreign language class. Model UN, Mock Trial, and Speech and Debate all develop close analysis, critical thinking, and clear communication skills that will be invaluable in your undergraduate career. Some areas offer Linguistics Olympiads, so do some digging to see if it’s available in yours! On your own, you can start a linguistics club or take a linguistics class at your local community college. You can always read linguistic books or self-teach linguistic skills in your own time. Science fair projects, computer science, history presentations, and English research papers can all take on a linguistics-like quality if you choose to tailor it that way. For example, a student asked to research a societal problem could delve into the rapid unique language loss occurring since the 1950’s and its role as a product of cultural, political, and economic marginalization. If you’re struggling to figure out where you match up to other college applicants, we recommend using our free Chancing Engine. Unlike other solely stats-based chancing calculators, ours looks at your profile holistically, including both your quantitative stats and qualitative extracurriculars.Overview of the Linguistics Major
What to Look for in a College as a Linguistics Major
Study Abroad Opportunities
Field Research Opportunities
Student Organizations
List of All U.S. Colleges With a Linguistics Major
What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?
