Immerse yourself in one of the most beautiful campus towns and pursue OHIO’s linguistics degrees at our residential campus in Athens — home to world-class faculty who are award-winning teachers and researchers at the top of their fields!
Linguistics Undergraduate Programs
Study Linguistics for Careers in AI, Forensics, Bilingual Education & More
Linguistics is the scientific study of the nature and development of language and how it is acquired and used.
ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ offers an undergraduate major in linguistics, the study of how languages are structured, acquired and used. Consisting of 34 credits, the ideal path to degree completion begins in the student’s sophomore year.
The linguistics major provides strong foundational content for students planning advanced study or careers in bilingual education, translation and interpretation, forensic studies, cognitive science, anthropology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and hearing, speech, and language sciences.
Choose What You Want to Learn
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Linguistics Major B.A.Students in the Linguistics Major (B.A.) pursue inherently interdisciplinary content in a single department, with language as a tool for connecting and exposing aspects of who and what we are and where we’ve been.
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Language and Technology CertificateThe Language and Technology Certificate explores the interaction of language and technology, from the invention of the printing press to the smart phone, AI-driven speech recognition, and human voice simulation.
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Forensics Studies CertificateThe Forensics Studies Certificate provides an interdisciplinary overview of forensic studies, exploring scientific components of criminal investigation and criminal justice processes.
Choose Where You Want to Learn
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Athens, OH, Residential Campus
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Regional Campuses
Start taking classes near where you work and live in a hybrid format that fits your schedule our regional campuses.
Expand Your Resume with a Minor or a Language
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Linguistics MinorThe Minor in Linguistics is useful for majors in anthropology, sociology, education, language teaching, library science, artificial intelligence, psychology, and cognitive science.
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Japanese MinorThe purpose of the Japanese minor is to equip students with basic language skills to pursue interests related to their major, whether they continue to graduate school or enter the workforce right away.
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Arabic Courses & Language StudyArabic is the mother tongue of over 300 million people in Africa and Asia. And since the Qur'an, the holy book of Muslims, is written in Arabic, people in other Muslim countries have from basic to advanced knowledge of Arabic.
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Chinese Courses & Language StudyChinese is spoken by more than 1 billion people. The Chinese economy is the fastest growing in the world, and Chinese political, social and cultural influence is everywhere.
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Japanese Courses & Language StudyMore than 130 million people around the world speak Japanese. Learning Japanese opens the door into this unique culture and society where old arts contribute to the creation of new technology and Western ideas harmoniously blend into Eastern thoughts.
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Swahili Courses & Language StudyToday, African languages like Swahili are more in demand than ever before as the world becomes more globalized. Knowledge of Swahili opens doors to many opportunities both locally and internationally.
What Can You Do with a Linguistics Degree?
Since linguistics is a relatively new field, there is no fixed area in which only linguists are employed. Most linguists can be found teaching at universities or connected with organizations that involve research and teaching, development of teaching materials, or field study of the world's languages.
A background in linguistics is useful in fields such as education, library science, artificial intelligence, psychology, and cognitive science.
The need for bilingual education and English instruction in the public schools has led to a demand for trained linguists in many urban areas throughout the United States.
Linguistics Careers & Internships
Post-Grad Opportunities for Linguistics Majors
After earning their bachelor's degrees in linguistics, some students proceed to graduate school at ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ or elsewhere. Our undergraduate programs will prepare you for the rigors and rewards of graduate school in our master's programs:
We also offer several pathways for those interested in teaching bilingual education in the United States or teaching English to students around the world:
Get Hands-On Experience with Your Linguistics Degree
Our linguistics programs provides important experiential learning opportunities for students. What you learn in the class is also valuable and applicable in the field, so you’ll get the chance to participate in research projects, internships, and more.
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Exhibit Your Research at Student Expo
The ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Student Research and Creative Activity Expo is held annually to highlight student research, scholarship and creative works, and many Linguistics majors participate.
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Study Abroad with OHIO Faculty
Come experience the cultural and historic food ways of Sicily, the Mediterranean's largest island! We'll travel Sicily's Eastern "Greek" coast to see and taste this unique island's rich history of food traditions.
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Explore the Experiences OHIO Has to Offer
From local waterways to the halls of Congress to international consulting trips, OHIO sets out to connect every student with a unique set of experiences that will move them forever forward.
Food in Sicily Students Make Traditional Sicilian Dishes in the Ibleian Mountains
Participants in the study abroad experience can earn six ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ credits, learn about the culture of food in Sicily and get hands-on experience tasting and making Sicilian dishes.
Students Visit 'China’s Southern Paradise' at the Cleveland Museum of Art
The exhibit included more than 240 pieces of important Chinese art from more than 40 international museum and university collections.
Why Choose a Linguistics Degree?
Studying Linguistics offers an opportunity for students to pursue inherently interdisciplinary content in a single department. While opportunities abound for coursework in other departments, Linguistics offers a view of communication and language systems from multiple vantage points. Sociolinguistics and Psycholinguistics integrate the study of societal organization and psychological applications of language, while theoretical study of Linguistics exposes students to discrete areas of language form and function across languages and within larger language families.
Students can apply their developing understanding of language organization and utilization via application courses ranging from Forensic Linguistics to Historical Linguistics to Language Documentation. We present language as a tool for connecting, for identifying and for exposing less salient aspects of who and what we are as well as where we’ve been.
Research: Undergraduate Linguistics students have opportunities to engage with faculty in linguistic theory and empirical research. The department values theoretical advances as well as exploratory and hypothesis-driven empirical research on the nature of language, language use, and language acquisition.
Teacher Preparation: The Linguistics department offers a minor in Linguistics and two different pre-service teacher preparation modules in TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TELT (Technology Enhanced Language Teaching) that provide professional-level teacher education to novice and experienced language teachers. Through global partnerships with foreign institutions, students also have opportunities to receive practical training as teachers of English as a foreign language in authentic foreign settings. Students who successfully complete the teacher-education program are competitive candidates for high-level language teaching positions around the world.
Language instruction to learners of Arabic, Chinese, English, Japanese, and Swahili. The department's core foreign-language offerings provide students with new language abilities, multicultural experiences, opportunities to study abroad, and the ability to fulfill language requirements necessary for graduation.
Courses & Resources
Undergraduate Advising and Student Affairs
Of course, ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ gives you tools to ensure you succeed, ranging from success advisors to department mentors who help you graduate on time and on plan.
Undergraduate students should contact Undergraduate Advising and Student Affairs for advising support, such as: class registration, adding and dropping classes, changing majors, adding minors and certificates, Guarantee+, and graduation checks.