Major Requirements

The Linguistics Program has revised its major and minor requirements for students entering Duke in August 2026 or later. Students who started at Duke in August 2025 or before can choose to follow either the old or the revised curriculum. 

Linguistics Major (AB) Requirements 

Required for class of 2030 and after
Optional for classes of 2027, 2028, and 2029
 
Core Courses (3 Required) 
 
LING 201 (Introduction to Linguistics) Prerequisite for LING 203 - Offered every semester 
LING 202 (Languages of the World) May be taken in any order with 203 - Offered once per year 
LING 203 (Elements of Linguistic Structure) Requires LING 201 - May be taken in any order with 202 - Offered once per year 
 
Chosen Focus Area Courses (3 required) 
 
2 Electives within the Focus Area (One Constellation or Focus course may count)
1 Methods-Designated Course (200-Level or Above)
 
Focus areas include: 

Language in Use
Language and the Brain
The Structure of Language
How Languages Are Learned
 
Additional Electives (2 required) 
 
At least one must be outside of your chosen Focus Area (Broadens exposure across the discipline) 

Language Requirement (1 required) 
 
One language course beyond the Trinity language requirement: either one course above your current sequence or a course in a different language (which should be from a different language family than the one taken for the Trinity requirement) 
 
Junior / Senior Seminar (1 required) 
 
LING 450S, taken in the Fall of Junior or Senior year. Culminates in a Junior/Senior paper or may be followed by a Senior Spring Independent Study for an Honors Thesis 
 

Linguistics (AB) Major Requirements 
(previous curriculum) 

Optional for classes of 2027, 2028, and 2029 
 
The linguistics major is composed of ten courses, eight of which must be at the 200 level or above. The courses combine empirical methods with theory. They are devised to provide depth and breadth in linguistic theory, the different schools of linguistics, the history and development of linguistic thought, and the interdisciplinary aspects of linguistics in the context of languages and cultures. The requirements are as follows:

Core requirements (3): LIN 201/203, 202, 450S/595

Theory requirements (3)
Disciplinary Areas (2) 
Language requirement (2 300-level or above) 

Course offerings:

Core: 

Linguistics 201 (Introduction to Linguistics) or Linguistics 203 (Elements of Linguistic Structure)
Linguistics 202 (Languages of the World)
Linguistics 450S (Jr./Sr. Seminar in Linguistics) or Linguistics 595 (Language, Music and Dementia) 
 
Theory: 
 

204. English Historical Linguistics 
206. Variety in Language
207. Psychology of Language (cross-listed)
209. Philosophy of Language
216S. Neuroscience and Human Language
250. Symbolic Logic
303. Fundamentals of Spanish Linguistics
305S. Italian Sociolinguistics
306S. Korean Sociolinguistics
308S. Bilingualism
364. Gender and Language
410S. Linguistics and Law
451. Language and Society
471S. Language and Politics
473S. Neuroscience and Multilingualism (cross-listed w/Neuroscience 439S)
480S. Critical Discourse Analysis
493. Research Independent Study
490S. Special Topics in Linguistics
494. Research Independent Study
497. Second Language Acquisition and Research
501. Cognitive and Neurolinguistics
502S. Language, Brain, and Human Behavior
506. Semiotics and Linguistics
510. Brain and Language
561S. Second Language Acquisition and Applied Linguistics
590. Special Topics
590S. Special Topics in Linguistics 
595. Language, Music and Dementia 

Disciplinary Areas: 
 
No course taken for credit as theory may be double-counted to fulfill the disciplinary concentration requirement. Qualifying courses are listed above under the heading “Regularly Scheduled Linguistics Courses and Special Topics Courses.” Disciplines include: 

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Computer Science
Cultural Anthropology
English
German
Italian
Neuroscience
Philosophy
Psychology
Romance Studies
Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Spanish 

Language Requirement:
 
Two semester courses in a single language other than English at or above the 300 level, excluding languages in which the student possesses CEFR C2 proficiency in speech and writing. Advisor’s approval is required in order to determine the language chosen for the major. The specific language courses are too numerous to list here. Advisors should also be consulted for specific approval of the language choice if it does not conform to the list below: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish.