Applied Linguistics, B.A.

Program Code: APLNG_BA

Program Description

Applied Linguistics is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines the complex role language plays in society. In this major, you will learn about how language permeates human interaction. Language and the way we use it is essential in shaping interpersonal relationships, learning a language, working in industry and government, and communicating on social media and using other digital technologies. Applied linguists develop an understanding of language as social practice and study how language shapes the way people think and bring meaning to what they do. Students in this major learn to investigate, question, and analyze real-world language use. This course of study can prepare you for graduate study as well as potential careers in diverse professions such as information sciences and technology, language policy and planning, market research and analysis, education, national security, translation and interpretation, and international affairs.

Entrance to Major

In order to be eligible for entrance to this major, a student must:

  1. attain at least a C (2.00) cumulative grade-point average for all courses taken at the University; and
  2. have at least third-semester classification.

READ SENATE POLICY 37-30: ENTRANCE TO AND CHANGES IN MAJOR PROGRAMS OF STUDY

Degree Requirements

For the Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied Linguistics, a minimum of 120 credits is required:

Requirement Credits
General Education 45
Electives 21
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements 24
Requirements for the Major 30

3 of the 24 credits for Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements are included in the Requirements for the Major, General Education, or Electives and 0-12 credits are included in Electives if world language proficiency is demonstrated by examination.

Per Senate Policy 83-80.5, the college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.

Requirements for the Major

A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the major. To graduate, a student enrolled in the major must earn at least a C grade in each course designated by the major as a C-required course, as specified by Senate Policy 82-44.

Prescribed Courses
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
APLNG 290NCritical Approaches to Applied Linguistics Keystone/General Education Course3
APLNG 320NLanguage, Ideology, and Propaganda Keystone/General Education Course3
APLNG 450Conducting Research in Applied Linguistics 3
APLNG 494Capstone: Research and Practice in APLNG3
Additional Courses 1
Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better
Select 12-18 credits from the following:12-18
Introduction to Language, Culture, and Social Interaction Keystone/General Education Course
Global English Keystone/General Education Course
Multilingual Lives: Stories of Language and Culture Learning Keystone/General Education Course
Language and Social Justice Keystone/General Education Course
Peer Tutoring for Multilingual Writers
LANGUAGE AND TECHNOLOGY Keystone/General Education Course
Conducting International Comparative Research Keystone/General Education Course
Language Rights, Policy, and Planning
Teaching American English Pronunciation
Teaching Second Language Writing
Discourse-Functional Grammar
Theory: Second Language Acquisition
Teaching English as a Second Language
Supporting Courses and Related Areas 1
Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better
Select 0-6 credits of any 300- or 400-level course from the following departments: 20-6
African Studies
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Linguistics
1

9 credits of Additional and/or Supporting Courses must be at the 400 level.

2

Upon consultation, courses from other disciplines (e.g., Asian Studies or World Languages courses) may be accepted.

General Education

Connecting career and curiosity, the General Education curriculum provides the opportunity for students to acquire transferable skills necessary to be successful in the future and to thrive while living in interconnected contexts. General Education aids students in developing intellectual curiosity, a strengthened ability to think, and a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation. These are requirements for all baccalaureate students and are often partially incorporated into the requirements of a program. For additional information, see the General Education Requirements section of the Bulletin and consult your academic adviser.

The keystone symbol Keystone/General Education Course appears next to the title of any course that is designated as a General Education course. Program requirements may also satisfy General Education requirements and vary for each program.

Foundations (grade of C or better is required and Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

  • Quantification (GQ): 6 credits
  • Writing and Speaking (GWS): 9 credits

Breadth in the Knowledge Domains (Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

  • Arts (GA): 3 credits
  • Health and Wellness (GHW): 3 credits
  • Humanities (GH): 3 credits
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 3 credits
  • Natural Sciences (GN): 3 credits

Integrative Studies

  • Inter-Domain Courses (Inter-Domain): 6 credits

Exploration

  • GN, may be completed with Inter-Domain courses: 3 credits
  • GA, GH, GN, GS, Inter-Domain courses. This may include 3 credits of World Language course work beyond the 12th credit level or the requirements for the student’s degree program, whichever is higher: 6 credits

University Degree Requirements

First Year Engagement

All students enrolled in a college or the Division of Undergraduate Studies at University Park, and the World Campus are required to take 1 to 3 credits of the First-Year Seminar, as specified by their college First-Year Engagement Plan.

Other Penn State colleges and campuses may require the First-Year Seminar; colleges and campuses that do not require a First-Year Seminar provide students with a first-year engagement experience.

First-year baccalaureate students entering Penn State should consult their academic adviser for these requirements.

Cultures Requirement

6 credits are required and may satisfy other requirements

  • United States Cultures: 3 credits
  • International Cultures: 3 credits

Writing Across the Curriculum

3 credits required from the college of graduation and likely prescribed as part of major requirements.

Total Minimum Credits

A minimum of 120 degree credits must be earned for a baccalaureate degree. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 credits. Students should consult with their college or department adviser for information on specific credit requirements.

Quality of Work

Candidates must complete the degree requirements for their major and earn at least a 2.00 grade-point average for all courses completed within their degree program.

Limitations on Source and Time for Credit Acquisition

The college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. Credit used toward degree programs may need to be earned from a particular source or within time constraints (see Senate Policy 83-80). For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.

B.A. Degree Requirements

World Language (0-12 credits): Student must attain 12th credit level of proficiency in one world language in addition to English. This proficiency must be demonstrated by either examination or course work. See the Placement Policy for Penn State World Language Courses.

B.A. Fields (9 credits): Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arts, World Languages, Natural Sciences, Quantification (may not be taken in the area of the student's primary major; world language credits in this category must be in a second world language in addition to English or beyond the 12th credit level of proficiency in the first language). Credits must be selected from the list of approved courses.

World Cultures (0-3 credits): Select 3 credits from approved list. Students may count courses in this category in order to meet other major, minor, elective, or General Education requirements, except for the University Cultural Diversity (US/IL) requirement.​

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

University Park

Liberal Arts Academic Advising
814-865-2545
Use the Liberal Arts Meet the Academic Advisers web page to see the contact information for the specific adviser(s) of this program

Suggested Academic Plan

The suggested academic plan(s) listed on this page are the plan(s) that are in effect during the 2024-25 academic year. To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition.

Applied Linguistics, B.A. at University Park Campus and Commonwealth Campuses

The course series listed below provides only one of the many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. This plan should be used in conjunction with your degree audit (accessible in LionPATH as either an Academic Requirements or What If report). Please consult with a Penn State academic adviser on a regular basis to develop and refine an academic plan that is appropriate for you.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
ENGL 15 or ESL 15 (GWS)3CAS 100A, 100B, or 100C (GWS)3
World Language Level 14World Language Level 24
General Education Course (Exploration/FYS)3General Education Course (Exploration)3
General Education Course (ID)3General Education Course (GQ)3
 General Education Course (GHW)3
 13 16
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
APLNG 290N*3APLNG 320N*3
World Language Level 34Related Area*3
BA Fields3APLNG 400-Level*3
General Education Course (GS)3BA Fields3
Elective/General Education Course (Exploration/GN)3General Education Course (GQ)3
 16 15
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
ENGL 202A, 202B, 202C, or 202D (GWS)3APLNG 450*3
APLNG 400-Level*3BA Fields (World Cultures)3
APLNG 400-Level or Related Area*3General Education Course (ID)3
General Education Course (ID/GN)3General Education Course (ID)/Elective3
Elective3Elective3
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
APLNG 400-Level or Related Area*3APLNG 494*3
BA Fields3BA Fields3
General Education Course (GS)3General Education Course (GN)3
General Education Course (GA)3General Education Course (GH)3
Elective3Elective3
 15 15
Total Credits 120
*

Course requires a grade of C or better for the major

Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education

#

Course is an Entrance to Major requirement

Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement

University Requirements and General Education Notes:

US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures).

W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.

General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.

All incoming Schreyer Honors College first-year students at University Park will take ENGL 137H/CAS 137H in the fall semester and ENGL 138T/CAS 138T in the spring semester. These courses carry the GWS designation and satisfy a portion of that General Education requirement. If the student’s program prescribes GWS these courses will replace both ENGL 15/ENGL 30H and CAS 100A/CAS 100B/CAS 100C. Each course is 3 credits.

Bachelor of Arts Requirements:

Bachelor of Arts students must take 9 credits in Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Fields (Humanities; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Arts; World Languages [2nd language or beyond the 12th credit level of proficiency in the 1st]; Natural Sciences; Quantification). The B.A. Fields courses may not be taken in the area of the student’s primary major. See your adviser and the Degree Requirements section of this Bulletin.

Bachelor of Arts students must take 3 credits in World Cultures.
See your adviser and the full list of courses approved as World Cultures courses.

Contact

University Park

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED LINGUISTICS
234 Sparks Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-7365
lals@psu.edu

https://aplng.la.psu.edu