Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics - Interdisciplinary Language Studies Option California State University, Fresno

A B.A. in Linguistics can prepare students for a career in many areas, including translation and interpreting; publishing; editing and grammar checking; lexicography (dictionary development); indigenous language documentation, and preservation. In law or criminology, Linguistics graduates have a special understanding of legal issues involving language or the use of language evidence in litigation (forensic linguistics). In health care, students with a linguistics degree can take advanced training and pursue careers in speech pathology and related areas. Many corporations recruit linguistics majors for development and marketing positions.

In each option, students receive a basic grounding in the nature and structure of human language. The option in Interdisciplinary Language Studies supplements the core foundation with extensive study in one or more languages other than English, and can thus prepare students for work in translating and interpreting, among other careers where extensive knowledge of the language is required.

What You Can Learn

• Linguistic analysis methodology: phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics
• Language documentation and preservation
• Second language teaching methods and practical training
• Language and the brain

A B.A. with a major in linguistics requires 36-46 units completed, depending on which option, the General Education requirement, specific course/skill requirements, electives, and remaining degree requirements totaling at least the 120 units required for a B.A.

1. Major requirements (44-47 units)

Core Requirements (24 units)
LING 100, LING 139, LING 142, LING 143, LING 148, LING 151, LING 156, LING 165

Interdisciplinary Language Studies Option (20-23 units)

Required: LING 154.
Choose Plan A or Plan B
-- A. Depth Plan in one language ---
(Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, or Hmong)
Required for Spanish: SPAN 130, SPAN 137, SPAN 139. Electives approved by the advisor (9 units).
Required for French: FREN 103 (6 units), FREN 132. Electives approved by the advisor (9 units).
Required for Japanese: JAPN 1A, JAPN 1B, JAPN 2A, JAPN 2B, JAPN 100, LING 120
Required for German: GERM 1A, GERM 1B, GERM 2A, GERM 2B, GERM 101, GERM 150
Required for Chinese: CHIN 1A, CHIN 1B, CHIN 2A, CHIN 2B, CHIN 100
Required for Hmong: HMONG 1A, HMONG 1B, HMONG 4, HMONG 100, HMONG 101; LING 121
See advising notes 4 and 5.

---B. Breadth Plan lower-division and/or upper-division courses in various languages ---
(American Sign Language, Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hmong, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Persian, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Spanish.) See advising notes 4 and 5.

2. General Education requirements (48 units)

3. Other requirements (9 units)
American Government and Institutions (PLSI 2), Multicultural and International (MI), and Upper-division writing

4. Sufficient elective units to meet required total units (varies)
(See Degree Requirements); may be used toward a double major or minor

5. Total units (120)*

* G.E. and MI courses can be double-counted with major requirements. Language IB Courses could fulfill GE Area C2. See advisor for details.