The major in linguistics is designed to provide students with a strong foundation in the study of linguistics at both the structural and social levels. Coursework on the structural side focuses on the internal structures that make up language and the methods and theories used to identify and understand these core structures (for example, in courses covering phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics); while coursework on the social side emphasizes the methods and theories that are used to study and interpret patterns of social interaction at the linguistic level (for example, in courses covering language and culture, sociolinguistics, and language and gender). Additional coursework draws from related fields to further develop students’ understanding of the broad spectrum of language-related domains (for example, psycholinguistics, language acquisition, and historical linguistics, among other topics).
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.
Universitywide Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.
NUpath Requirements
All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.
Linguistics Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to College | ||
| INSC 1000 | Science at Northeastern | 1 |
| Introduction to Experiential Learning | ||
| EESC 2000 | Professional Development for Co-op | 1 |
| Linguistic Foundations | ||
| LING 1150 | Introduction to Linguistics | 4 |
| or LING 1449 | English Now and Then | |
| LING 2350 | Linguistic Analysis | 4 |
| LING 3412 | Language and Culture | 4 |
| Linguistic Structure | ||
| Complete four of the following: | 16 | |
| Phonetics | ||
| Phonology | ||
| Morphology | ||
| Syntax | ||
| Semantics | ||
| Language in Context | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Sociolinguistics | ||
| Language and Gender | ||
| Language Change | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| History of English | ||
| Historical Linguistics | ||
| Research Experience | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Field Linguistics | ||
| Research Seminar in Linguistics | ||
| With prior linguistics program approval, one of the following experiences can be used to fulfill the research experience: | ||
| Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 and Junior/Senior Honors Project 2 | ||
| Directed Study Research | ||
| Linguistics Seminar | ||
| Complete at least one seminar (LING 4654 may be repeated with different topics): | ||
| LING 4654 | Seminar in Linguistics | 4 |
| Linguistics Electives | ||
| Complete six electives from the following that have not already been taken to fulfill other major requirements: | 24 | |
| LING 3000 to LING 4999 1 | ||
| Up to two electives may come from the following list: | ||
| ASL Linguistics | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| Laboratory in Cognition | ||
| Seminar in Psycholinguistics | ||
| Seminar in Cognition | ||
| Seminar in Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Seminar in Developmental Psychology | ||
- 1
Please visit the Linguistics Courses page within this catalog to review the list of courses in the LING 3000–LING 4999 range.
Language Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete two courses in the same language with a grade of C or higher. Proficiency at elementary level 2 or higher is required. | 8 | |
Writing Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENGW 1111 | First-Year Writing | 4 |
| or ENGW 1102 | First-Year Writing for Multilingual Writers | |
| ENGW 3307 | Advanced Writing in the Sciences | 4 |
| or ENGW 3315 | Interdisciplinary Advanced Writing in the Disciplines | |
NUpath Requirements Met by Major
- Engaging with the Natural and Designed World (ND)
- Interpreting Culture (IC)
- Conducting Formal and Quantitative Reasoning (FQ)
- Understanding Societies and Institutions (SI)
- Analyzing and Using Data (AD)
- Engaging Differences and Diversity (DD)
- Writing Across Audiences and Genres
- Integrating Knowledge and Skills Through Experience
- Demonstrating Thought and Action in a Capstone
Linguistics Major Credit and GPA Requirement
Complete 76 semester hours in the major. A minimum 2.000 GPA is required across courses in the LING (Linguistics) subject code.
Program Requirement
128 total semester hours required
Sample Four Years, Two Co-ops in Summer Second Half/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | LING 2350 | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | Vacation | 0 |
| INSC 1000 | 1 | Foreign language course | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | ||
| LING 1150 | 4 | LING Elective | 4 | ||||
| Foreign language course | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||
| NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| LING 3412 | 4 | EESC 2000 | 1 | NUpath or elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| LING Structure | 4 | Language in Context course | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | ||
| Language Change course | 4 | LING Structure | 4 | ||||
| NUpath or elective | 4 | LING Structure | 4 | ||||
| LING Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | ENGW 3315 | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| LING Structure | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||
| LING Elective | 4 | ||||||
| LING Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | ||
| Co-op | 0 | LING 4654 | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | ||
| LING Research Experience | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||
| LING Elective | 4 | ||||||
| LING Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | |||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||
Sample Five Years, Three Co-ops in Summer Second Half/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | LING 2350 | 4 | Vacation | 0 | Vacation | 0 |
| INSC 1000 | 1 | Foreign language course | 4 | ||||
| LING 1150 | 4 | LING Elective | 4 | ||||
| Foreign language course | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||
| NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| LING 3412 | 4 | EESC 2000 | 1 | Vacation | 0 | Co-op | 0 |
| LING Structure | 4 | Language in Context course | 4 | ||||
| Language Change course | 4 | LING Structure | 4 | ||||
| NUpath or elective | 4 | LING Structure | 4 | ||||
| LING Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 16 | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | ENGW 3315 | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| LING Structure | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||
| LING Elective | 4 | ||||||
| NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | 0 | LING Elective | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | Co-op | 0 |
| LING Elective | 4 | NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||
| NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||||
| NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 5 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op | 0 | LING 4654 | 4 | ||||
| LING Research Experience | 4 | ||||||
| LING Elective | 4 | ||||||
| NUpath or elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 130 | |||||||