Overview

Throughout the Applied Linguistics BA program from Portland State University, we use our knowledge about language to improve language teaching, document the languages in Portland, highlight social justice issues, determine what makes specialized texts more or less effective, help students be more successful in higher education, create resources for literacy learners, improve digital communication, inform policy decisions, and much more.

Because language is fundamental to many fields, Applied Linguistics majors go on to diverse careers: teaching, international development, artificial intelligence, refugee services, marketing, and translation, to name just a few. Applied linguistics is excellent preparation for law school or graduate degrees in social sciences and humanities.

The Applied Linguistics major or minor pairs well with foreign languages, computer science, speech and hearing sciences, English, anthropology, and other social sciences. A dual major or minor gives you an advantage in the job market. With Applied Linguistics and Computer Science, you will be better prepared for natural language processing. With a dual degree in Applied Linguistics and other fields, you will be better prepared for working in multilingual and multicultural contexts.

Career opportunities:

Applied Linguistics prepares you to be part of a multicultural, multilingual society. The major develops skills for analytical reasoning and effective communication. You can work in a variety of jobs, including:

teachers of English as a Second/Foreign Language
international development aid worker
teachers for citizenship courses
interpreters and translators
dialect coaches
technical writers
computational linguists
lexicographers (dictionary makers)
International student advisors

Our alumni have gone on to pursue graduate degrees in computational linguistics, teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), linguistics, applied linguistics, culture and technology, language and literacy education, psychology, and speech pathology.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Linguistics

Structure of English

Bilingualism

Syntax

Phonetics

Pragmatics

Psycholinguistics

Discourse Analysis

Corpus Linguistics

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-07-22 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-07-05 00:00:00
Starting 2026-09-30 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-09-01 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-08-01 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-01-06 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-05 00:00:00
Starting 2027-03-31 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-03-05 00:00:00

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

110

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TOEFL^® IBT

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PTE Academic

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IELTS

Prepare for Your English Test

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Credits

180 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Portland, United States

Disciplines

Linguistics View 450 other Bachelors in Linguistics in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

2.5

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

110

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

You must have a cumulative (overall) grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 when converted to the U.S. 4.0 grading scale.
Meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement. You may be admitted to Portland State University and an Intensive English Language Program (IELP) pathway if you do not meet PSU's English Language Proficiency Requirement. Learn more about PSU’s English language programs.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

34599 USD / year

≈ 34599 USD / year
Out-of-State

34599 USD / year

≈ 34599 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

12999 USD / year

≈ 12999 USD / year

Living costs

Portland

United States

1271 - 2262 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Bachelor's scholarship opportunities for Applied Linguistics.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Career opportunities:

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Portland

Funding

Need help with your student visa?

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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