All who study linguistics find that the experience sharpens their understanding of language in general and enables them to use their language more effectively and thus to exercise a greater amount of control over their own lives, no matter what their eventual fields of interest or occupations. Linguistics graduates find their marketable skills considerably enriched by their humanities education. All freshman applicants are considered within a competitive admission process for Summer, Autumn, and Winter quarters for the Columbus campus. Once these criteria have been met and students are officially enrolled in the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences, they may declare their major as linguistics, and then contact the coordinating adviser in the Department of Linguistics. The GEC is a body of courses designed to ensure that each student becomes acquainted with the basic areas of academic study.
Some majors also require completion of a foreign language requirement.
The undergraduate major program in linguistics permits students to combine in a single field a broad spectrum of humanistic and scientific interests and to develop analytic skills in depth. Students are encouraged to explore with faculty the many relationships of linguistics with other fields in order to discover the optimal program for their individual interests and goals. Core courses include beginning language courses through 104. These courses do not apply toward the major. Additional electives and General Education Curriculum requirements totaling 196 hours are required by the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences for graduation.