BA Linguistics at The Ohio State University

Programme overview

A human language is an enormously intricate and highly structured communication system. All human languages share a striking number of properties that can be observed in their sound systems and grammars. Regularities can also be found, for example, in the ways languages change over time and in the steps by which children learn their native language. These facts about language call for scientific analysis and can be explained in terms of the human organs used to produce and listen to speech as well as with respect to specific cognitive abilities and limitations of the human mind.

Faculty: Arts and Sciences | Study mode: full-time | Location: Columbus, OH, United States

What you will study

The undergraduate major program in linguistics permits students to combine in a single field a broad spectrum of humanistic and scientific interests and to develop analytic skills in depth. Students are encouraged to explore with faculty the many relationships of linguistics with other fields in order to discover the optimal program for their individual interests and goals. Students majoring in linguistics must complete an introductory linguistics course, an advanced foreign language course, six core linguistic courses and four elective linguistic courses.

Career pathways

See careers in linguistics. Ohio State boasts one of the best linguistics programs in the nation; many students of linguistics go on to pursue graduate degrees.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission to the university (and the Arts and Sciences college where applicable) applies; no separate programme-specific requirement published. Upon admission to the university, students can declare a major in linguistics within the College of Arts and Sciences. Interested students should contact the undergraduate advisor in the Department of Linguistics and Arts and Sciences Advising.

Domestic applicants: USD 12,921 a year (2026-27). Columbus campus on-campus Instructional Fee (tuition) for students beginning Autumn 2026: $6,460.50 per semester at 12-18 credit hours, shown as two semesters (Autumn and Spring). The Ohio State Tuition Guarantee fixes this rate for four years for Ohio re Source

Entry terms for first-year applicants to the Columbus campus: Autumn 2027 and Spring 2027 (Spring 2027 deadline November 1, 2026). Summer first-year applications are not accepted.

Transfer applicants can start in Spring, Summer or Autumn 2027.

First-year, Columbus campus, Autumn 2027: early action (non-binding) deadline November 1, 2026; regular decision deadline January 15, 2027; financial aid priority date February 1; acceptance fee deadline May 1, 2027. Early action decisions: December 11 (Ohio residents and Stamps Eminence applicants) and January 22 (non-Ohio residents and international applicants); regular decision decisions March 5.

First-year applicants apply with the Common Application. ACT or SAT scores are required for first-year Columbus applicants (superscored; sent directly by the testing agency); applicants out of high school two or more years are not required to submit scores. The essay is not required.

Transfer applicants (Columbus campus): Spring 2027 deadline November 1, 2026; Autumn 2027 deadline March 1, 2027; Summer 2027 deadline May 15, 2027. Regional campuses: December 1, 2026, April 15, 2027 and July 15, 2027 respectively.

International transfer applicants: Spring 2027 deadline October 1, 2026; Autumn 2027 deadline March 1, 2027.

Apply through the official page: https://undergrad.osu.edu/apply

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