Language Studies

Program overview

Language Studies is an interdisciplinary major offered by the Linguistics Department. It is designed to equip students with competence in one foreign language and, at the same time, provide an understanding of the general nature of human language, its structure and use. Students may choose to take elective courses from a variety of departments, concerning the cultural context of the language of concentration.

Learning Experience

Study and Research Opportunities

B.A. and minor with concentrations in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish
Opportunities to study abroad through UCEAP and the Global Learning Office.
The Undergraduate Research Fellows in Linguistics and Language Science (URFLLS) experiential learning program
Additional undergraduate research opportunities are available through the Linguistics Department and through the Humanities Division
A short video about our programs:
- Undergraduate majors offered by the Linguistics Department

First-Year Requirements

High school students planning to major in Language Studies at UC Santa Cruz need no additional background other than the courses necessary for UC admission; however, it may be useful to complete more than the minimum requirement in foreign language.

Find more information on first-year requirements

Transfer Requirements

This is a non-screening major. Transfer students planning to major in Language Studies should complete two years of college-level language study in their language of concentration before coming to UC Santa Cruz. Those who have not fulfilled this requirement will find it difficult to graduate in two years. In addition, students will find it helpful to have completed courses that satisfy campus general education requirements.

While it is not a condition of admission, students from California community colleges may complete the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) in preparation for transfer to UC Santa Cruz.

Find more information on transfer requirements

Learning Outcomes

Language Studies courses build competency in data analysis, logical argumentation, clear writing, and a foreign language, providing an excellent foundation for a wide range of careers.

Students attain an understanding of how human languages work, and of the theories that explain language structure and use.

Students learn:

• to analyze data and discover patterns,

• to propose and test hypotheses to explain those patterns,

• to build and modify theories about how language works.

Finally, students attain advanced competency in a foreign language, and learn to express their thinking in writing that is clear, precise, and logically organized.

For more information, see linguistics.ucsc.edu/undergraduate/undergrad-plos.html.