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Fall 2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Linguistics, BA
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 Return to: Majors
Department of Linguistics, College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics
Chair: Francisco Ordonez
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Marie K. Huffman
Assistant to the Chair: Brian Frank
Office: S-201 Social and Behavioral Sciences
Phone: (631) 632-7777
Linguistics is the science of language. Language is at once the most diverse and the most clearly structured aspect of human behavior. It distinguishes humans from other species and much of human culture depends on it. Understanding the nature of human language is therefore a key to understanding human nature. Linguistics seeks to discover the common features of the languages of the world’s peoples, to understand how languages change over time, and how language relates to other aspects of human society.
The major in Linguistics is designed to provide graduates with a set of skills and a body of knowledge. A graduate will have the skills to analyze the most important features of language: sounds, words, sentences, and conversation, using both formal and experimental methods. Students will also learn what linguists know about the languages of the world, their history and structure, and how language interacts with many facets of all cultures.
The Department also prepares its majors for provisional certification as Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages in New York State (TESOL) from kindergarten through grade 12. Candidates for TESOL certification must follow a specific track within the major, which includes a semester of student teaching. Approximately one-quarter of Linguistics majors elect this track in the major. It is also common for Linguistics majors to have a second major, either in a language or in an adjacent field such as psychology or computer science.
Options for further education that are taken by graduates include professional school in such areas as speech pathology and law, and graduate school in linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and computer science. A few graduates have gone on to technical positions in industry that involve speech engineering.
Instruction in uncommonly taught languages not offered elsewhere in the University is provided by the Department of Linguistics.
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Degree Requirements
The major in Linguistics leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. Requirements for TESOL certification are detailed following the Linguistics minor and honors program listings. Completion of the major requires 39 credits in linguistics and two semesters, or the equivalent, of a foreign language in addition to the University’s language proficiency requirement. All linguistics courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. - LIN 101 - Human Language 3 credits
- LIN 201 - Phonetics 4 credits
- LIN 301 - Phonology 4 credits
- LIN 311 - Syntax 4 credits
- LIN 431 - The Structure of an Uncommonly Taught Language 4 credits
- Six additional linguistics courses, of which 4 must be upper-division (LIN 355 and/or LIN 356 may be taken up to two times for this requirement. LIN 344 , LIN 454 , LIN 475 , LIN 476 , LIN 488 and LIN 495 may not be used for elective credit)
- Two semesters of foreign language, or the equivalent, after completing DEC Entry Skill 3/LANG, or the equivalent. These may be either in the same language with which the entry skill was met, or in one or two other languages.
- LIN 405 - Writing in Linguistics 2 credits In the junior or senior year, students must successfully complete LIN 405 , a two-credit course. LIN 405 satisfies the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) learning objective WRTD.
Notes:
- Students may count up to two linguistics-related courses from other departments toward the Linguistics major, with prior permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Honors Program
Linguistics majors who have maintained a g.p.a. of 3.50 in the major are eligible to graduate with departmental honors. An additional requirement for honors is the submission and presentation of a senior thesis based on research performed during the senior year. Students must submit a written thesis proposal for approval to a sponsoring faculty member in the semester prior to the start of their senior year. Acceptance into the honors program depends on approval of the proposal by the sponsoring faculty member, the director of undergraduate studies and the department. LIN 495 and LIN 496 will be taken as a 2 semester sequence during the senior year, for a total of six credits. Students will receive only one grade upon completion of the sequence. These courses must be taken in addition to the total credits required for the major. The student’s thesis must be completed and the student must have a public presentation of their research no later than three weeks prior to the end of the semester in which they are enrolled in LIN 496 . The thesis will be read and evaluated by a committee consisting of the student’s sponsor, a member of the Department of Linguistics, and one other faculty member, as arranged by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. If the thesis is accepted by the committee and the student retains a 3.50 g.p.a. for all linguistics courses taken, the Department will recommend that honors be conferred. Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Teacher Education Program
The TESOL Teacher Education Program prepares undergraduates for initial certification as Pre-K-12 teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Prospective applicants must consult with the Director of TESOL Teacher Preparation and Certification TESOL Certification Director and the Undergraduate Director in Linguistics as early as possible in their academic careers to ensure completion of the program requirements in a timely manner. Academic requirements for admission to this program are a major in Linguistics, completion of LIN 101 , and LIN 201 and/or LIN 311 with a grade of C or higher, an overall GPA of 3.0 and a GPA in the major of 3.0. Students wishing to apply should consult the department website for application deadlines and a full list of required application materials. Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in order to remain in the program. See also information on Teacher preparation programs, TESOL teacher education program. Requirements for Initial Certification
Linguistics courses:
- LIN 101 - Human Language 3 credits
- LIN 201 - Phonetics 4 credits
- LIN 301 - Phonology 4 credits
- LIN 307 - Sociolinguistics 3 credits
- LIN 311 - Syntax 4 credits
- LIN 405 - Writing in Linguistics 2 credits
- LIN 431 - The Structure of an Uncommonly Taught Language 4 credits
- Three additional 3 credit linguistics courses, one of which must be upper division. (LIN 355 and/or LIN 356 may be taken up to two times for this requirement. LIN 344 , LIN 454 , LIN 475 , LIN 476 , LIN 488 and LIN 495 may not be used for elective credit).
- Two years of college-level study of a language or languages other than English. Completion of Skill 3/LANG satisfies the first year of this requirement. The additional year may be in the same, or one or two other languages.
- Students must maintain a 3.0 g.p.a. overall and a 3.0 g.p.a in the major in order to remain in the program. Students electing TESOL may not take any courses required for certification for Pass/No Credit.
- Professional educational requirements:
- PSY 327 - Human Growth and Development in the Educational Context 3 credits
- CEF 347 - Introduction to Special Education 3 credits
- SSE 350 - Foundations of Education 3 credits
- LIN 344 - Literacy Development 3 credits
- LIN 375 - TESOL Pedagogy: Theory and Practice 3 credits
- LIN 378 - Content-Based Language and Literacy Development 3 credits
- LIN 449 - Field Experience, Grades N-12 1 credit,
- LIN 450 - Field Experience, Grades N-12 1 credit,
- LIN 451 - Supervised Teaching 6 credits,
- LIN 452 - Supervised Student Teaching in English as a Second Language: Secondary Grades 7-12 6 credits,
- LIN 454 - Managing Instruction, Assessment, and Resources 3 credits
Five-Year Accelerated BA/MA Program with Teacher Certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
In addition to the regular B.A. program in Linguistics with teacher certification and the regular M.A. in TESOL, the Linguistics department offers a five-year accelerated B.A./M.A. degree program with concentration in TESOL. Upon completion of the five-year program, graduates will hold a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics, New York State teaching certification in TESOL, and a Master’s degree in TESOL. The combined program will allow students the opportunity to complete these requirements one semester sooner than students who complete the programs sequentially. The accelerated program is restricted to students with an outstanding undergraduate record who are expected to excel in the graduate program. During the first four semesters as an undergraduate, students in the accelerated program will pursue a normal course of study for the B.A. in Linguistics with New York State certification in TESOL. Students must apply to the five-year accelerated program in the second semester of the sophomore year. During the third year of study students will take two pedagogy courses and the field components associated with them at the graduate level, and will student-teach in the second semester of the fourth year. They will then enter the graduate program prepared to complete the M.A. degree in one year of full-time study. The following are the minimum requirements for admission to the accelerated program: - A minimum GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.3 in linguistics courses;
- The admissions essay;
- Recommendations from two linguistics faculty members;
- Interviews with the Undergraduate Director in Linguistics and the Director of the TESOL program.
Five-Year Accelerated BA/MAT Degrees in Linguistics and Language
Stony Brook Linguistics offers three B.A-M.A.T. programs for students specializing in linguistics and a foreign language - Five-year program in Linguistics and French
- Five-year program in Linguistics and Italian
- Five-year program in Linguistics and Spanish
These 5-year programs allow students to complete a BA with a double major in Linguistics and French, or Linguistics and Italian, or Linguistics and Spanish, plus an MAT in French, Italian, or Spanish, as well as dual certification in ESL/ENL (grades K-12) and French, Italian, or Spanish (grades 7-12). This program can be completed in 5 years with careful planning. For more information, please consult: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/spd/graduate/ba_mat_esl/index.php. SBC Courses
This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2) | SBC Category | Required Major Courses | Optional Major Courses (see Note 3) | | ARTS | | | | GLO | | LIN 230, LIN 270, LIN 345, LIN 355, LIN 356 | | HUM | | | | LANG (see Note 4) | | | | QPS | | LIN 361 | | SBS | LIN 101 | LIN 200, LIN 202, LIN 240, LIN 250, LIN 260, LIN 270, LIN 355 | | SNW | LIN 101 | LIN 260, LIN 350 | | TECH | | LIN 120 | | USA | | LIN 200, LIN 240, LIN 250 | | WRT | | | | STAS | | | | EXP+ | | LIN 378, LIN 444, LIN 449, LIN 450, LIN 451, LIN 452 | | HFA+ | | | | SBS+ | LIN 201, LIN 431 | LIN 307, LIN 330, LIN 345, LIN 346, LIN 350, LIN 356, LIN 370 | | STEM+ | | LIN 335, LIN 380, LIN 381, LIN 382 | | CER | LIN 431 | LIN 378, LIN 450, LIN 451, LIN 452 | | DIV (see Note 5) | | LIN 200, LIN 230, LIN 355 | | ESI | LIN 405 | LIN 307, LIN 330 | | SPK | LIN 431 | LIN 378, LIN 450, LIN 451, LIN 452 | | WRTD | LIN 405 | | Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation. Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences. Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods. Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements: - Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
- Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
- Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
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