Degree Requirements

Requirements for the BA Degree with a Major in Linguistics

For general university requirements, see Graduation Requirements. Students pursuing the BA degree with a major in Linguistics must complete:

  • A minimum of 12 courses (36 credit hours) to satisfy major requirements.
  • A minimum of 120 credit hours to satisfy degree requirements.
  • A minimum of 9 courses (27 credit hours) at the 300-level or above.

Because human language is a multifaceted object of study, linguistics is, by its nature an interdisciplinary field. The undergraduate major provides both an in-depth grounding in the field as well as a cross-disciplinary breadth. Students beginning the linguistics major should take LING 200, which is a prerequisite for many upper-level courses in the department. All majors are required to take at least 9 courses (27 credit hours) in linguistics at the 300-level or above, including 5 core courses as specified below.

The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this major. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the major’s academic advisor (or official certifier). Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.

Summary

Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Linguistics
36
Total Credit Hours Required for the BA Degree with a Major in Linguistics
120

Degree Requirements

Required Prerequisite
Course Number
Course Title
Credit Hours
INTRODUCTION TO THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF LANGUAGE
3
Core Requirements
Course Number
Course Title
Credit Hours
LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS
3
PHONETICS
3
LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS II
3
ANALYSIS OF SOUND PATTERNS
3
RESEARCH SEMINAR
3
Language Requirement1
Description
Credit Hours
Select 2 courses in a foreign language: for European languages, 2 courses at the 200-level or above; for non-European languages, 2 courses at the 100-level or above.
6
Elective Requirements
Description
Credit Hours
Select 4 electives from departmental (LING) course offerings at the 300-level or above.2
12

Total Credit Hour Breakdown

Total Credit Hours Required for the Major in Linguistics
36
Additional Credit Hours to Complete BA Degree Requirements
24
Total Credit Hours
120

Footnotes and Additional Information

*Includes coursework completed as distribution credit, FWIS, LPAP, upper-level, residency (hours taken at Rice), 60 hours outside of the major (if applicable), and any additional academic program requirements. The “hours outside of the major” requirement may include all of the above university requirements.

1In addition to the required prerequisite, core requirements, and elective requirements, competency in one language other than English is required. This requirement may be satisfied by taking two courses in a European Language at the 200-level or above (or equivalent) or by taking two courses in a Non-European Language at the 100-level or above.

European Languages:

  • French (FREN)
  • German (GERM)
  • Greek (GREE)
  • Italian (ITAL)
  • Latin (LATI)
  • Portuguese (PORT)
  • Russian (RUSS)
  • Spanish (SPAN)

Non-European Languages:

  • Arabic (ARAB)
  • Chinese (CHIN)
  • Hebrew (HEBR)
  • Hindi (HIND)
  • Japanese (JAPA)
  • Korean (KORE)
  • Tibetan (TIBT)

2The linguistics major requires, in addition to five core courses, at least four advanced linguistics electives at the 300-level or above. In addition to the LING 499 Research Seminar, one additional Research Seminar can be selected as an elective. No more than one independent study course (such as LING 480) may be counted toward the major requirements.

The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. In the event that there is a discrepancy between the GA and any other websites or publications, the GA shall prevail as the authoritative source.