If you want to get the most from your academic program, it is crucial that you learn to use the advising resources available to you—both within the department and at UCSC more broadly. It is up to you to use the resources that are available.
If you are a prospective major in linguistics or language studies, your first step should be to meet with a peer advisor, or the Undergraduate Advisor, to create an academic plan. Once you have qualified for the major, you should attend one of the declaration information sessions for information on major requirements and departmental policies.
If you are a current major in linguistics or language studies, the Undergraduate Advisor is your best source of information and advice about the logistics of satisfying the requirements for the major. Linguistics faculty are your best source for advice about intellectual matters and about how to prepare for graduate school and beyond.
Jump to:
Getting Advice and Guidance
Undergraduate Advisor
The Undergraduate Advisor can advise you about requirements for the majors, about prerequisites, and about many other aspects of your academic progress. During the academic year, there are regular drop-in office hours available:
If none of the drop-in office hours work for you, email the Undergraduate Advisor for an appointment.
Remote advising is available by email or ZOOM (video-conferencing) during regular drop-in hours, or by appointment. Please email ling@ucsc.edu to set up an appointment.
Zoom link: http://bit.ly/LINGadvising
Please see the current drop-in advising schedule for in-person advising hours. The Undergraduate Advisor’s office is in the Stevenson Academic Building, Room 241. Please wear a mask for in-person meetings. If you prefer to meet without a mask, please choose a Zoom meeting.
Faculty
You should feel free to meet with any faculty member for advising, but it may make sense to speak with the Undergraduate Advisor first, to find out which faculty member might be best placed to advise you about your interests or concerns.
In particular, if you are considering the option of a senior thesis, it is essential to speak with a faculty member as early as possible in the process, to get guidance and to begin developing your ideas. You can find the current office hours for all faculty members in the faculty directory.
For issues specifically related to the undergraduate program, you can turn to the Undergraduate Program Director.
Peer Advisors
During the academic year, the department has a peer advising program to provide an additional advising resource for undergraduate majors. The Peer Advisors are advanced students in the two majors who volunteer their time and expertise to provide guidance and advice to other students.
Peer Advisors do not have signature authority on forms (i.e., Declaration of Major Petitions and study abroad planning forms). Students must see the Undergraduate Advisor for any forms requiring a department signature.
We encourage any prospective and current linguistics or language studies majors to stop by during the Peer Advisors’ office hours if they have questions about either field of study.
Remote advising is available by email or ZOOM (video-conferencing) during regular drop-in hours.
Please see the current drop-in advising schedule for in-person advising hours. The peer advisor office is in the Stevenson Academic Building, Room 245. Please wear a mask for in-person meetings. If you prefer to meet without a mask, please choose a Zoom meeting.
Have a question? lingpeer@ucsc.edu
NEED HELP? ASK A SLUG!
Ask a Slug is a peer-support (student-led) network designed to connect you with campus resources that will best address your issue. No matter what you need or whatever question you have.
Make an appointment or complete this form and we will be in touch within 72 hours.
Career Advising
Students with a major or minor in the Humanities Division can sign up for 1:1 career advising appointments with the Humanities Career Engagement Specialist, Meredith Pelrine. Topics can include career exploration, job and internship searches, resumes and cover letters, interview prep, job offer evaluation and negotiation, and more. Appointments are available virtually and in person. To schedule, see Humanities Career Advising.
Declaring a Major/Minor
You should formally declare your major as early as possible in your academic career. Why? Doing so will mean you get helpful advising. It will require you to plan out all the courses of the major. This means you will know you have time to meet all the necessary requirements for Linguistics or Language Studies before you graduate.
Qualification Policy:
To qualify for the Linguistics or Language Studies major, a student must pass two gateway courses with a grade of C+ or better in each:
- Gateway Course 1: LING 50 Introduction to Linguistics
- Gateway Course 2: One from LING 53, LING 101, LING 112, LING 171
To declare the majors:
Once you have successfully completed the two gateway courses, and/or you have reached your declaration deadline, you should do the following:
- Please meet with the department advisor or a peer advisor, to complete or update your academic plan. If you are declaring a second major, please first complete an academic planning form with the advisor for your declared major. Major Degree Checklists are useful resources, which you may want to look over prior to the declaration session. You can find them in the “Major Requirements” section for either the Language Studies or Linguistics major on this website.
- Petition to declare your major. Log into MyUCSC and navigate to the Student Homepage. Select the Undergraduate Student eForms tile > Petition for Major/Minor. If you are already logged in to MyUCSC, you can simply use this link: Petition for Major/Minor via MyUCSC. The petition will automatically be routed to the department.
- Attend one of the department’s Declaration Information Sessions. These sessions are held in the first month of each quarter. Invitations to sign up for a declaration session are sent out by the first week of the quarter to all proposed majors through the Navigate/Slug Success system. If you have completed the gateway courses, and you do not receive an invitation by Week 2, please contact the department advisor for assistance. Please sign up well in advance, as these meetings tend to fill quickly.
The campus undergraduate advising website has further helpful information about declaring a major.
To declare the minors:
- Meet individually with the department advisor. You must first have declared your major in another department. Have that department sign off on your remaining major coursework, using the academic planning form. Please share this document with the linguistics advisor, or bring it to the meeting for the minor declaration.
- Petition to declare your minor. Log into MyUCSC and navigate to the Student Homepage. Select the Undergraduate Student eForms tile > Petition for Major/Minor. If you are already logged in to MyUCSC, you can simply use this link: Petition for Major/Minor via MyUCSC. The petition will automatically be routed to the department.
Tips for Planning Your Program
Here are four tips to keep in mind when embarking on your major in Linguistics or Language Studies:
- Meet with a Peer Advisor to create your academic plan and get questions answered about your major.
- Determine how many language courses you need in order to fulfill your language requirement. (Linguistics majors can opt to satisfy the math/computer science requirement instead.) Begin any necessary language instruction as soon as possible.
- Take at least one introductory linguistics course in your first year, and plan to take at least syntax and phonology in your second year. (Junior transfers: take all of these courses in your first year.) If linguistics is not for you, you should find this out early, in order to consider a change in your plans.
- Plan to complete the bulk of your general education requirements early on. The sophomore, junior, and senior years can fill up quickly with major requirements (even more so if you are planning to study abroad). Also, as GEs are often lower-division courses, it can be frustrating to have to take them in the final quarters of your career, when you would like to take more advanced courses.
Language Placement Exams
All foreign languages and language placement tests at UCSC are administered by a separate department, the Department of Languages and Applied Linguistics. You can learn more on their website:
Master’s Degree Program
Every year, UCSC students who have the BA in linguistics or language studies can apply to be admitted into the graduate program to pursue the MA in theoretical linguistics. Interested students should discuss the possibility with one or more faculty members and formally apply to the graduate program during the fall quarter of their senior year. The combined BA/MA program provides another pathway to an MA in linguistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to take Linguistics courses for a letter grade?
No. Once you have completed our qualifying courses, there is no requirement that courses for the major be taken for a letter-grade. There is a campus-wide requirement that you need to be aware of and to keep track of (no more than 25% of all of your UCSC courses can be taken on a P/NP basis).
How do I declare a Linguistics or Language Studies major?
Please look at the “Declaring a Major/Minor” section on this web site where all pertinent planning resources are available. In order to declare, students must attend a group declaration session, offered in the first month of each quarter. We encourage you to meet with a Peer Advisor before the session to work out your four-year academic plan.
How do I know when to take the major courses?
The Peer Advisors can help you plan these courses, and you will create an academic plan when you declare the major. Peer Advisors are an excellent resource for answering questions pertaining to class scheduling, enrollment, and degree requirements.
What do I need to know about studying abroad?
You can get started by creating a profile on the Global Learning website. Fall quarter is typically the best time to go abroad due to the quarter/semester difference. Students must declare their major before they submit their application to study abroad, and must complete four of the named courses (Ling 50, 53, 101 and 111 or 112) before going abroad. Exception: The Department places no restrictions on summer study abroad. Before you apply, please talk to your college advisor about the Senior Residence Requirement.
Can I get course credit for courses taken outside UCSC?
Provided that your previous coursework is approved for transfer to UCSC, you will at least receive credits that count towards the 180 unit minimum required for graduation. If the courses in question were lower-division (e.g. all community college courses) they may satisfy general education requirements, but they will not satisfy upper division major requirements. If your previous courses were upper division and relevant to your major, you may petition for up to three substitutions towards the required upper division electives. The department is in general very cautious about accepting courses taken outside UCSC. If you wish to petition, begin by talking to a staff advisor about it.
How should I satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement?
There are three ways to satisfy the UCSC Senior Comprehensive Requirement for the Linguistics and Language Studies majors. The first option is to take a linguistics course which is designated as an “exit” course. In order to count this course for the campus and major Comprehensive Requirement, you must be in senior standing when you take the course and also have previously completed all linguistics foundation courses. You enroll concurrently in a 2-unit senior research course, LING 190. Each instance of LING 190 is taught concurrently with one of the upper-division electives offered in that quarter. This elective can also serve as one of the linguistics electives required for the major.
The second option is to write a senior thesis. This is suitable for students who have an exemplary record in their course-work and who have consulted with a faculty member well in advance about the suitability of this option and about appropriate topics. Students must submit a written thesis proposal at least three quarters before their planned graduation date.
The third option is to enroll and pass a linguistics graduate-level course during the senior year. Students must first obtain approval from the course instructor and undergraduate advisor before enrolling in this course for the Senior Comprehensive Requirement.
I’m hoping to graduate at the end of next quarter; what do I need to do?
First check with your college that your general education and unit requirements will be complete. Meet with the Linguistics Undergraduate Advisor, to make sure that you will have completed all major or minor requirements. Then apply to graduate online at your student portal (instructions on how to do that are available on the website of the Office of the Registrar) by the deadline for the quarter in which you want to graduate. Bear in mind that registering to walk in Commencement is a separate process, usually completed through your college Programs or Activities Office.
How do I get involved in research?
There are a few ways that you could get involved in the work of labs and other research groups in the department. One way is to look at the list of these groups on the department website to see if anything interests you there, and then to contact the faculty affiliated with it. Another way is to talk to specific faculty that you would like to work with and ask them if they have anything for undergraduates to get involved with. You can also speak with your TAs, who may be involved with department research themselves.
How do I ask a faculty member for a letter of recommendation?
Faculty members will in general be glad to write letters of recommendation on your behalf. However, they are in general very busy and get many such requests, usually in a cluster. So please bear that in mind when you approach them with your request.
- Ask at least one month before your deadline.
- Let the faculty member know what program you are applying to, why, and what your goals are in applying. Are there special selection or admission criteria for the program or scholarship that you are applying for?
- Provide, preferably in one package, whether electronic or hard copy:
- Copy of your UCSC transcript, showing all linguistics courses taken
- A copy of your draft statement of purpose, as well as your resume or curriculum vita
- Make especially sure you’ve been clear and explicit about when the letter is needed and the address to which it should be sent.
- If the recommendation is to go on a pre-printed form, make sure you’ve completed your portion of that form.
- If you’ve been out of school for more than a couple of years, reconnect with the faculty member by phone, via email or in person: refresh their memory about who you are, then ask if they are willing to write a letter for you.
- Be prepared for the fact that some faculty members may ask you to visit them during office hours to discuss your application or letter.
- About confidentiality: You don’t have to, but it is generally in your best interest to agree to the letter being confidential (it will have more weight with readers). If you are uncomfortable with this, or if you are worried that the letter might not be positive, discuss your concerns with the faculty member.
In general, please remember that:
Bear in mind especially that the faculty member is doing you a favor in writing the letter; be considerate by supplying all the information you can in a timely way.
It is in your best interest to provide your letter-writers with as much information as possible in as timely a manner as possible. The better informed your recommender is, and the more time they have in which to write the letter, the better their letter will be.