Linguistics Major
Program Requirements
- Total Units Required: Students must complete a total of 30 units to complete the major. At least 24 of these must be at the 3000 level or above.
- Grade Requirement: Students must receive a grade of C- or higher in a course to count it toward the major. Pass/No Pass grades do not count toward the major.
Required Courses
Majors must complete the following list of courses. Courses used to complete this requirement cannot also count towards the elective requirement further below.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| LING 1600 | Introduction to Linguistics | 3 |
| LING 2550 | Methods in Linguistic Research | 3 |
or LING 3250 | Introduction to Computational Linguistics | |
| LING 3050 | Phonetics | 3 |
| LING 3150 | Syntactic Analysis | 3 |
| LING 3350 | Phonological Analysis | 3 |
| LING 3450 | Introduction to Semantics | 3 |
| Total Units | 18 | |
Elective Courses
Majors must take 12 units from the courses listed below. At least 9 units must be at the 3000 level or higher. No more than 6 units may be drawn from LING 4975 or Ling 5000.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CLASSICS 2250 | Latin and Greek in Current English | 3 |
| LING 1526 | First-year Seminar: The Linguistics of Constructed Languages | 3 |
| LING 1536 | First-Year Seminar: Storming Off and Slaying the Serpents: Linguistic Approaches to Comparative Mythology | 3 |
| LING 2225 | Linguistics for Legal Purposes | 3 |
| LING 2550 | Methods in Linguistic Research | 3 |
| LING 3075 | Introduction to Sociolinguistics | 3 |
| LING 3175 | Morphology | 3 |
| LING 3185 | Linguistic Diversity in the United States | 3 |
| LING 3225 | Linguistic Pragmatics | 3 |
| LING 3250 | Introduction to Computational Linguistics | 3 |
| LING 3525 | Linguistics Seminar | 3 |
| LING 3526 | Linguistics Seminar: Writing Intensive | 3 |
| LING 3550 | Historical and Comparative Linguistics | 3 |
| LING 4062 | Second-Language Acquisition | 3 |
| LING 4250 | Computation and Learnability in Linguistics Theory | 3 |
| LING 4850 | Senior Seminar in Linguistics | 3 |
| LING 4975 | Independent Work for Senior Honors | 3-6 |
| LING 5000 | Independent Study | 3-6 |
| PSYCH 3580 | Language Acquistion | 3 |
| PSYCH 4330 | Psychology of Language | 3 |
Under certain circumstances, majors may count a limited number of relevant courses not listed above toward the elective requirement. Such circumstances include, for example, study abroad and preparation for a specialized capstone. A specific plan of study must be worked out with the director of the Linguistics program in advance of the courses being taken.
Language Requirement
Majors must have a foreign language competency equivalent to one year of study at the college level. Courses taken to complete this requirement do not count towards the 30 total units required for the major.
Capstone Requirement
Primary majors are required to complete a capstone course or project during their Senior year. The capstone requirement can be satisfied by taking one of the courses listed below. Students wishing to count Ling 5000 for their capstone need to have their independent studies approved in advance by the director of the Linguistics program.
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| LING 3550 | Historical and Comparative Linguistics | 3 |
| LING 4850 | Senior Seminar in Linguistics | 3 |
| LING 4975 | Independent Work for Senior Honors | 3-6 |
| LING 5000 | Independent Study | 3-6 |
Additional Information
Study Abroad and Transfer Credits
The maximum number of credits from outside Arts and Sciences that students may apply to the major is 6. This includes credits taken outside of Washington University, such as credits transferred from other US institutions and credits from approved Study Abroad programs.
Senior Honors Thesis
At the end of their Junior year, eligible majors may apply to enter the honors program by submitting a proposal for a senior thesis. To be eligible, a major must have the following:
- An overall University GPA of 3.65 or higher
- A Linguistics GPA of 3.65 or higher
If admitted into the program, the major will register for 3 units of LING 4975 Independent Work For Senior Honors in both fall semester and spring semester of their senior year. The major must complete the thesis and pass an oral defense by the middle of April of their senior year.
Contact Info
| Contact: | Brett Hyde |
| Phone: | 314-935-7612 |
| Email: | bhyde@wustl.edu |
| Website: | http://linguistics.wustl.edu |