BA Applied Linguistics

The Applied Linguistics Major at Portland State University provides students with a strong background in the scientific study of language and the uses to which such study can be put. Because language is the most accessible and structured of human behaviors, its analysis leads to great insights into the workings of the human mind and into human behavior in general.

Linguistics has led to discoveries in other disciplines such as philosophy, cognitive studies, and artificial intelligence, as well as in social sciences such as anthropology, psychology and sociology.

Linguists serve in many professions where an understanding of language is important. In addition to its intrinsic interest and value, an undergraduate major could serve either as preparation for graduate school or as an organizing theme for a rich undergraduate program, for example, pairing an Applied Linguistics Major with another major.

The Applied Linguistics Department has 14 faculty, more than 200 undergraduate majors and students in the TESOL Certificate Program, and over 75 graduate students. Courses in Applied Linguistics offer students the chance to learn about one of the most fascinating and most discussed human behaviors: language.

Your Potential To Be Exponential

At Portland State University , you feel like you’re part of a movement. The kind that keeps your classmates rooting for you and your professors pulling for you. You’ll form bonds with faculty and friends in small classes that dive deep into the issues that matter most to you. We are proud to be one of the nation’s most transformative universities. Because every time your success inspires others, you change the world.