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Undergraduate Opportunities

A Wealth of Opportunities
Undergraduate students with an interest in language and language science have a wealth of opportunities at the University of Maryland. The resources and breadth of expertise in language science at the university are hard to match. In addition to our interdisciplinary undergraduate program, PULSAR, there are many degree programs, research opportunities and other activities for students to get involved in.

 

Degree Programs
Students with an interest in the fundamental science and analysis of language can major or minor in Linguistics. An undergraduate degree in Hearing & Speech Sciences focuses on comparisons between typical and atypical speech, language, and hearing, and is the first step towards clinical qualification as a speech-language pathologist or audiologist. Students often choose to pursue one of these language-focused degrees as part of a double major with another area. For example, many students choose a double major in Linguistics and one of the language majors offered by the School of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. Students with an interest in cognitive aspects of language can double major in Linguistics and Psychology. And students with an interest in computation and language could select a double major in Computer Science and Linguistics. Students interested in language teaching might consider minoring in Second Language Education/TESOL. And while there are no dedicated undergraduate programs in Second Language Acquisition or Computational Linguistics, highly qualified undergraduates can request permission to take some of the excellent graduate courses in language science offered in various programs and departments as well.

Research Opportunities
A student who just takes the classes needed to earn a degree is missing out on the great opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research at the University of Maryland. Undergraduates can get involved from their freshman year onwards. Students can participate in research during the semester as volunteers, for credit, and in some cases for pay. For a particularly in-depth research experience, students can use the summer months to work full-time in a research group. Some undergraduate researchers go on to present their new discoveries at international conferences, or publish their findings in books or scientific journals.