Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. The field has many sub-disciplines. Some study languages themselves, mapping out a better understanding of the phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of language. Others examine how languages are learned (language acquisition), how languages is processed in the brain (psycho- and neurolinguistics), how language is used (pragmatics and sociolinguistics), how computational methods are applied to language study (computational linguistics), and others. 

A linguistics degree builds skills employers want everywhere: sharp analytical thinking, precise writing, and the ability to spot patterns in complex data. Graduates go on to work in a wide variety of fields:

Computational Linguistics and AI. Help develop tools for speech synthesis and recognition, natural language processing, machine translation, and language analysis.

Education. Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) or teaching foreign languages. 

Research and Data Analysis. Linguistics gives you a strong background in experimental methods and data management and analysis, perfect for working in a research lab or working in a data-heavy field.

Government. Government agencies often hire linguists for translation, localization, cryptography or forensic linguistics. 

Other fields. Linguistics graduates go on to careers in marketing, journalism, editing, lexicography, and publishing. Linguistics is also a great pre-law background and pairs well as a double/dual major with computer science, psychology, and many others. 

Visit the LSA’s Linguistics Career Launch site to find more resources on what your linguistics degree can do for you!

Just a few of the features of UF Linguistics that our undergraduate students have highlighted: 

Opportunities for research. Professors often have ongoing or grant-funded projects that undergraduate students can join to get hands-on experience. 

Smaller classes and accessible professors. As one of the smaller majors on campus, students find it easy to make appointments with professors to discuss their work. Beyond our introductory courses, very few have more than 25 students. Undergraduates are also welcome to department events like seminars or workshops. 

Variety of subdisciplines. Our faculty research and teach in half a dozen different linguistic specializations. This allows students to explore their interests freely or to build a focus in one or two subdisciplines. 

An active UGLS! The Undergraduate Linguistics Society organizes talks, fun events, and student support for our majors and anyone connected to linguistics. They often co-organize with the Graduate Linguistics Society as well. 

At UF no language courses are taught through the Linguistics Department. Rather, these courses are all taught through other departments (such as Spanish and Portuguese Studies, the Centers for African or European Studies, the Department of Language, Literature and Culture, and others). That might seem strange, but we love it this way as it creates great connections between linguists and language teachers in departments across UF. Many of those who manage language programs in other units are affiliated with our department and often teach a course or two for us, broadening our offerings. 

While taking foreign language courses is not required for the major, we do encourage our students to study at least one language of their choice in order to broaden their knowledge of the world’s languages. If a student chooses to study a less-commonly taught language that is a non-Romance/non-Germanic language (e.g. NOT Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, or Italian), they may receive elective credit towards the major. They must take two consecutive semesters of the same language to receive elective credit. The maximum number of credits from language study that may be applied to the major is 6 credits.

For example, if a student take CHI1130 (Beginner Chinese 1) in Fall semester and then takes CHI1131 in Spring semester, they will receive 6 credits towards their Linguistics major electives.

Examples of languages that qualify are: Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Swahili, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Czech, Russian, Hindi, Akan, Wolof, Xhosa, Yoruba (see the offerings from the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures), and American Sign Language (through the Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences). Language courses cannot be taken S/U. We do not honor proficiency in a language if you do not have the language courses on your transcript. For instance, if you are a native speaker of Chinese, you will not get 6 credits towards the major.

Our introductory course LIN 2011 Intro to Linguistics is required for all majors. It also satisfies a Humanities Gen Ed. The course is a great overview, touching on some of the basic of linguistic structure and the various subfields of the discipline. From there, students take LIN 3460 Structures of Human Language (focused on word structure and sentence structure) and LIN 3201 Sounds of Human Language (focused on phonetics and phonology). Beyond that, students are free to follow their interests and design their own pathway. A meeting with our undergraduate coordinator is advised when planning courses. Learn more about our major

Yes! The department offers a flexible minor in Linguistics that is a great addition to any number of BA or BS degrees. We also offer a minor in TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language), which is popular with our Linguistics majors as well as those pursuing English or an education degree. 

The 4+1 Combination degree program allows students to get BA and an MA in Linguistics in just five years! Undergraduates apply into the program in the Spring of their Junior year. If accepted, they may take graduate courses in their Senior year which count for both the undergraduate and graduate degree. These tend to be the graduate “core” courses. Students graduate on time with the BA and then are admitted to the MA program for one additional year of graduate coursework and research. Learn more here and contact our undergraduate or graduate coordinator with any questions.  

Linguistics research is highly varied. It can look like collecting primary data from speakers of other languages through recordings and elicitation, or it can look like measuring brain waves using EEG machines or eye moves with an eye tracking device. It can look like designing and testing computational models, or it can look like placing sensors on people’s tongues to measure articulation movements. The best way to learn more about research in the department is to talk to current faculty or graduate students about their work and your interests! You can also keep an eye out for one of our research “blitz” events where students and/or faculty share their current research in five minutes or less!

Of course! Many of our students choose to major in Linguistics alongside another major. Students often double major in Spanish (or other language degrees), Psychology, Political Science or Computer Science. We recommend talking with a CLAS advisor about these options.

Transfer students are asked to complete two years of a foreign language (with a preference for non-Romance, non-Germanic languages). Intro Linguistics or other language-related coursework is also preferred. See the CLAS advising website for more info. Linguistics is also a Going Gator major – admission into the major from Santa Fe, Florida Gateway College, and the College of Central Florida is guaranteed if requirements are met.

Graduate programs in linguistics often look for students with a strong foundation in linguistics structure (at least syntax and phonology), research experience, and a strong writing sample. Completing an independent study or a senior thesis with a faculty member can be good ways to accomplish this. We recommend consulting with the department’s undergraduate or graduate coordinator to discuss your plans and interests.