Interdisciplinary Linguistics, Certificate

(Code 570-601)

For advising, contact the English Department.

Linguistics bridges the social sciences and humanities, applying scientific methods and perspectives to the study of language, a fundamental human behavior and social institution. The Interdisciplinary Linguistics certificate offers a focused program of study in the structure, acquisition, and/or social functions of language, drawing on theories and methodologies of one or more disciplines. The goal of the program is to enhance students’ abilities to reason about language by providing opportunities to analyze the sounds, words, sentences and/or meanings of natural language; to describe variation and change in natural language; and to form and test hypotheses about language by collecting, organizing, and analyzing linguistic data. While not in itself a professional certification, a linguistics certificate could enhance the career options of students majoring or minoring in computer science, English, languages, teaching English as a second/foreign language, elementary and secondary education, among others.

Twelve semester credits, including:
Required course:
ENGL 221Introductory English Linguistics3
Select nine credits of linguistics electives from the following courses:9
Language in Culture and Society
Phonetics: Theory and Application
American Sign Language Semantics
American Sign Language Linguistics
Topics in the Structure of English
Topics in Language in Society
Seminar in Linguistic Research
Second Language Acquisition Theory
Pronunciation
The German Sound System
Structure of German in Contrast
Philosophy of Language
Phonetics and Pronunciation
Survey of Hispanic Linguistics
Spanish Sociolinguistics in the United States/Latin America
Seminar in Hispanic Linguistics Research

Note: Students may not pursue the Interdisciplinary Linguistics certificate and the English Linguistics major or the Spanish Linguistics major as their first and second degree programs for purposes of graduation. Also, if the Interdisciplinary Linguistics certificate is a student's second program, courses that count in the certificate may not be applied to the student's major for purposes of graduation.

Program Learning Outcomes 

Students completing this program will be expected to meet the following learning outcomes:

  • Read and interpret text from a variety of critical perspectives.
  • Write effectively for different purposes and audiences.
  • Plan, conduct, and document research using appropriate sources.
  • Describe the dynamic nature, diversity, and structure of the English language.