Linguistics has important ties with instruction in foreign languages and in English as a second language. Studies of how languages are learned are based in part on analysis of the languages in question. They also are grounded strongly in theories of second-language acquisition, which in turn are related to theories of how linguistic knowledge is represented in the mind. People with linguistic training teach English as a second language and help clinicians retrain people with linguistic disabilities. Some help design school programs for minority groups or intelligence and achievement tests.
Linguists also work in occupations related to law, the computer industry, and foreign languages.
Undergraduate Program High scores on verbal, analytic, and quantitative aptitude tests are indicators of success in linguistics. Although few aspects of the field deal with numbers, students must be able to reason logically and explicitly and deal with formulas and abstract symbols. Appropriate companion fields include foreign languages, English, anthropology, sociology, speech pathology, psychology, mathematics, computer science, philosophy, and elementary and secondary education. Elective courses in a variety of subspecialties enable students to tailor the program to their own interests. The major in linguistics requires 24 semester hours of course work, as follows.