Applied Linguistics BA

Overview

The Applied Linguistics major investigates linguistic issues relevant to the everyday world, shedding light on the nature of language and language use. Students will learn linguistic theory, the study of the structure of human language generally. With its focus on service learning, students will also learn linguistic practice, engaging in the community, schools, and work places of our geographic setting. Successful graduates will be well acquainted with language use from a variety of perspectives and experiences, and will be able to apply this knowledge to a wide variety of practices including language teaching, speech pathology, and translation and interpretation.

Learning Outcomes

Ability to apply critical thinking skills through linguistic data analysis in phonetics, phonology, syntax, and at least one other subfield

Understanding of advanced theoretical concepts and/or analytical techniques in at least one subfield

Ability to write technical material in linguistics, including language description and theory-based analysis

Ability to access scholarly literature on language structure and use it in research

Entry to the Major

Transfer Students

Transfer applicants to the Applied Linguistics major with 90 or more units must complete as many of the following introductory courses as possible prior to admission to UCLA: two years of one foreign language or one year of two different foreign languages, one introduction to linguistics course, one introduction to psychology course, and one introduction to linguistic anthropology course.

Refer to the UCLA transfer admission guide for up-to-date information regarding transfer selection for admission.

Major Requirements

Preparation for the Major

Complete two courses and a foreign language requirement as follows:

Anthropology 4 or Psychology 10

Foreign Language

The Major

Complete 10 upper-division courses as follows:

Required Linguistics Courses

Complete four courses as follows:

Linguistics 102 or 103

Linguistics 119A or 120A

Linguistics 120B

Linguistics 130 or C140

Additional Linguistic Courses

Select three courses from:

Upper-Division Linguistics Electives

Additional Elective

Select one course from the following list or a linguistics-related course (minimum 4 graded units) offered by another department in consultation with the Linguistics Department undergraduate student affairs officer:

Honors Program

Departmental honors are awarded at graduation to those students who have a grade-point average of 3.6 or better in their junior and senior years and who have received a grade of A in Linguistics 198A and 198B or in 199. Qualified students may be proposed by any member of the faculty to the faculty as a whole for the award of highest honors on the basis of a piece of research in linguistics completed at UCLA.

Linguistics 198A and 198B

Linguistics 199

Computing Specialization

Students may select a specialization in Computing by satisfying all the requirements for a bachelor’s degree in the specified major and completing the following courses. Students graduate with a bachelor’s degree in their major and a specialization in Computing.

Introduction to Computing

Linguistics 185A and Mathematics 61

Additional Linguistics Elective

Policies

Preparation for the Major Policies

Linguistics 20 must be passed with a letter grade of C or better prior to beginning upper-division coursework in the major.

Students who complete an advanced upper-division language course are considered to have completed the equivalent of whatever courses are requisite to that advanced language course (e.g., if students complete German 152, they have automatically satisfied the requirement of the sixth level of work in German).

General Catalog 2024-25