Major & Minor Program
The Department of Linguistics at the University of Chicago offers undergraduate students two paths for studying language: a BA major and a minor. The major provides flexibility for students to construct a course of study that accords with their interests, with a core set of required courses supplemented by electives, the majority of which must be courses offered by the department. The minor is open to students majoring in any other field and requires a smaller set of courses, to be declared before the end of Spring Quarter of the student's third year. Both programs are designed to give students a grounding in the scientific study of language and its core subdisciplines.
The BA in Linguistics requires eleven courses that will provide expertise in linguistics. Students have flexibility to construct a course of study that accords with their interests, but their final tally of eleven courses must include the following:
- Introduction to Linguistics (20001)
- three of the following courses
- Introduction to Phonetics & Phonology (20101)
- Introduction to Syntax (20201)
- Introduction to Semantics & Pragmatics (20301)
- Language in Society (26002)
At least six electives for the major must be courses offered by the Linguistics Department (i.e. course whose numbers begin with LING). For any further electives, a student may petition the department to substitute a related course in another department.
Summary of Requirements
- 1 LING 20001 (introductory course)
- 3 LING 20101, 20201, and 20301 (core courses)
- 6-7 Linguistics electives**
- 11
With prior approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies, such electives may be taken in other departments.
** A minimum of 6 must be courses with LING numbers.
Grading: All courses used to satisfy requirements for the major and minor must be taken for quality grades. With consent of the instructor, nonmajors may take linguistics courses for P/F grading.
In summary, the Linguistics major consists of the following courses: LING 20001, 20101, 20201, 20301, and between 6 and 7 elective courses (of which 6 must be LING courses).
Students in other fields of study may complete a minor in Linguistics. The minor in Linguistics requires a total of seven courses, which must include:
- Introduction to Linguistics (20001)
- Introduction to Phonetics & Phonology (20101)
- Introduction to Syntax (20201)
- Introduction to Semantics & Pragmatics (20301)
Students who elect the minor program in Linguistics must declare their intention to complete the minor before the end of Spring Quarter of their third year. Declaring the minor is done by filling out the Minor consent form, obtaining a signature from the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies, and submitting the signed form to the student’s college advisor.
Courses in the minor (1) may not be double counted with the student's major(s) or with other minors and (2) may not be counted toward general education requirements. Courses in the minor must be taken for quality grades (not P/F), and more than half of the requirements for the minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.