Welcome to the Linguistics Department

The UCSD Department of Linguistics is unique among leading doctoral programs. Three traits in particular contribute to its distinctive character and define its educational philosophy.

First, the faculty conduct research and offer in-depth instruction in both theoretical and empirical/experimental approaches to language. Students find their training in these perspectives to be both educationally beneficial and advantageous in seeking employment and conducting their professional careers.

Second, the program emphasizes the study of diverse languages, for their own sake as well as for the empirical testing of theoretical claims. The faculty have research interests in, and conduct fieldwork on, typologically varied languages. Graduate students received training in field methods. Theoretical courses emphasize cross-linguistic generalizations and the analysis of a range of languages.

Third, the department is an active and integral part of the cognitive science and neuroscience communities at UCSD, which rank among the world’s finest. For example, most Linguistics faculty also have appointments in the Cognitive Science Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program, which many Linguistics students participate in. Faculty and students engage in a spectrum of experimental research that encompasses phonetics, signed languages, psycholinguistics, event-related brain potentials (ERPs), and computational modeling.