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

Introduction to College
INSC 1000Science at Northeastern1
Introduction to Experiential Learning
EESC 2000Professional Development for Co-op1
Linguistic Foundations
LING 1150Introduction to Linguistics4
or LING 1449 English Now and Then
LING 2350Linguistic Analysis4
LING 3412Language and Culture4
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 4654Seminar in Linguistics4
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

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

ENGW 1111First-Year Writing4
or ENGW 1102 First-Year Writing for Multilingual Writers
ENGW 3307Advanced Writing in the Sciences4
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
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
ENGW 11114LING 23504NUpath or elective4Vacation0
INSC 10001Foreign language course4NUpath or elective4 
LING 11504LING Elective4  
Foreign language course4NUpath or elective4  
NUpath or elective4   
 17 16 8 0
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
LING 34124EESC 20001NUpath or elective4Co-op0
LING Structure4Language in Context course4NUpath or elective4 
Language Change course4LING Structure4  
NUpath or elective4LING Structure4  
 LING Elective4  
 16 17 8 0
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Co-op0ENGW 33154NUpath or elective4Co-op0
 LING Structure4NUpath or elective4 
 LING Elective4  
 LING Elective4  
 0 16 8 0
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1Hours 
Co-op0LING 46544NUpath or elective4 
 LING Research Experience4NUpath or elective4 
 LING Elective4  
 LING Elective4  
 0 16 8 
Total Hours: 130

Sample Five Years, Three Co-ops in Summer Second Half/Fall

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
ENGW 11114LING 23504Vacation0Vacation0
INSC 10001Foreign language course4  
LING 11504LING Elective4  
Foreign language course4NUpath or elective4  
NUpath or elective4   
 17 16 0 0
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
LING 34124EESC 20001Vacation0Co-op0
LING Structure4Language in Context course4  
Language Change course4LING Structure4  
NUpath or elective4LING Structure4  
 LING Elective4  
 16 17 0 0
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Co-op0ENGW 33154NUpath or elective4Co-op0
 LING Structure4NUpath or elective4 
 LING Elective4  
 NUpath or elective4  
 0 16 8 0
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Co-op0LING Elective4NUpath or elective4Co-op0
 LING Elective4NUpath or elective4 
 NUpath or elective4  
 NUpath or elective4  
 0 16 8 0
Year 5
FallHoursSpringHours  
Co-op0LING 46544  
 LING Research Experience4  
 LING Elective4  
 NUpath or elective4  
 0 16  
Total Hours: 130