Nothing characterizes the nature of humans more than the ability to use language. In linguistics, one studies languages not to read, write, or speak them, but to understand how they work, how they change, how children learn them, and how they are used. Concern for the role of language in human life makes linguistics a humanistic discipline. But since linguistics is concerned with the systematic explanation of facts about language, it is also a science.

The undergraduate programs in linguistics permit a student to combine in a single field a broad spectrum of humanistic and scientific interests and to develop his/her analytic skills in depth. The student is encouraged to explore with faculty the many relationships of linguistics with other fields in order to discover the optimal program for his/her individual goals.

There are several undergraduate programs, including a major with two tracks, a minor with different recommended elective sequences for different subfields, and a combined B.A./M.A. program that allows students to combine honors work in the undergraduate major with master's work in order to earn an M.A. in a shorter time than is usually necessary for this postgraduate degree.