Like other rapidly developing fields, linguistics resists simple classification into one of the traditional categories of academic disciplines. As one of the humanities, linguistics is concerned with the historical development of a particular language or language family. As an applied science, linguistics has found many applications in fields as far apart as language pedagogy, speech therapy, and computer programming. Finally, linguistics may be considered a formal science in its own right, related to mathematics and logic. The interdisciplinary aspects of this study are reflected in the organization of the program which offers a core of general linguistics courses and draws upon linguistically related courses in other departments.
Graduates use the major in linguistics for a liberal arts base in language related fields.
With advanced work, they enter teaching, language research, translation, and linguistic field work, as well as such professional fields as law or such applied fields as teaching English as a second language. The Bachelor of Arts is for students with an exceptional interest in and aptitude for the study of the systems of human communication. The essential relationships between language and thought and language and culture, the structure of foreign languages as well as English, the historical study of language, and formal techniques and methodologies are the theoretical foundations of linguistic analysis. The M.A. in Linguistics builds upon a foundation of undergraduate study in linguistics and such allied areas, as foreign languages, English language, anthropology, speech communication and related areas in psychology and philosophy. The program emphasizes strong preparation in a core of general linguistics and offers the opportunity to specialize in one of several areas.