Undergraduate Programs in Linguistics

What is linguistics? In a nutshell, linguistics is about how we acquire languages, how we use them, and how we explain the way they are. It’s an endlessly fascinating subject.

SFU has a large and diverse Linguistics Department. Many courses are taught by internationally recognized scholars. Every instructor is committed to top quality teaching.

You learn many valuable skills by studying linguistics. It is a marketable degree with several transferable skills:

  • How to construct logical arguments
  • How to achieve solutions to complex problems using clear, concise, coherent reasoning
  • Inferencing strategies
  • How to improve your focus 
  • Co-operative, collegial behaviour 

The study of linguistics prepares you for a variety of exciting careers: 

  • Audiologist
  • Communications Specialist
  • Computational Linguist
  • Forensic Linguist
  • ESL Instructor
  • Foreign Language Instructor
  • Immigration Officer
  • Research Analyst
  • Speech Language Pathologist 

Interested in Linguistics? 

Here's a checklist of courses that you will need to complete a major or an extended minor in our program:

Looking for courses? Current students can find course offerings on go.sfu.ca and in the current Calendar.

Looking for course outlines? Check out the Course Outlines database.

Looking for advising? Newly admitted students contact Academic Advising.

Looking to declare or already in a Linguistics program? See our Linguistics Undergraduate Advisor.

For general inquiries, please contact the Linguistics Department at lingdept@sfu.ca