Linguistics is the scientific study of language, and includes subdisciplines such as phonetics/phonology (the study of speech sounds), morphology (the study of word structure), grammar/syntax (the study of phrasal and sentence structure), and semantics (the study of meaning). The field of linguistics is related to many other areas of study and is a specialization within certain areas: anthropological linguistics, psycholinguistics, or Spanish linguistics, for example. The Linguistics Program at USC offers the possibility of an undergraduate minor or cognate field in Linguistics, and knowledge gained in such a course of study can complement study in a wide variety of disciplines. Students who would especially benefit from a minor or cognate in Linguistics are those majoring in Anthropology, Computer Science, English, French, German, Philosophy, Psychology, and Spanish. A Linguistics minor is also good preparation for a graduate program in Speech Pathology. A student wishing to have Linguistics as a major concentration of their studies may pursue an emphasis in the field through the Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (BAIS) degree program. Further information about the BAIS program may be obtained from Asst. Dean Mary Ann Byrnes in the College of Liberal Arts.

The recommended first step in learning about linguistics is Linguistics 300: Introduction to Language Sciences (cross-listed as Anthropology 373 and Psychology 470). Note that this course can be taken for Social Science elective credit. After the introduction gained in this course, the student is prepared for topics courses on the 400 and 500 level. (There are, however, no formal prerequisites for these courses.) Possibilities include courses on language in society, history of language, philosophy of language, acquisition of language by children, and courses devoted to the description of a particular language: English, French, German, or Spanish. Majoring in one of the related disciplines and minoring in linguistics can prepare students for a variety of careers, including teaching, translating, foreign service, and social work, or graduate study in Linguistics and any of its related fields. For students who want to pursue Linguistics past the undergraduate level, the USC Linguistics Progam offers a comprehensive graduate program in linguistics, which leads to M.A. and Ph.D. degrees.