Linguistics Scholarships for College Students
TESL or Save Endangered Languages
Simply put, Linguistics is the study of language. Linguistics students are engaged in curricula regarding endangered languages, phonetics, syntax and semantics, history of different languages and systems of communication and the methods by which language has been applied in all types of cultures.
Students often concentrate in either a practical area of study such as Applied Linguistics and TESL, or in research and academia. Professional linguists may work in research, mental health, education, and in technology studying computational linguistics.
College Scholarships
The University of Texas-Arlington provides students with degrees in Linguistics from Bachelors to a Ph.D. Scholarships are given to graduate students in the department in the form of assistantships. Assistantships offer graduate students up to $9,000 in awards. Grad Assistants are generally expected to teach writing classes for ESL students. Selection criteria for the programs include academic performance and career potential.
University of Utah Department of Linguistics offers students the following scholarships:
- Cathy Miller Horiuchi Scholarship is awarded to a first year graduate student who may otherwise not be able to afford the tuition costs. Qualified applicants must also prove a level of academic scholarship besides financial need. Awards are up to $2250.
- Linguistic Department Alumni Scholarships are funded by generous contributions from alumni. Applicants may be either undergraduate or graduate students and be able to articulate in an essay the choice of linguistics for a major. Awards are $500.
- Linguistic Department Scholarships are designed to reward residents of Utah who are pursuing careers and degrees in linguistics. Applicants must prove academic excellence and be able to write a winning essay on linguistics as a career choice.
- Wick Miller Endowed Scholarship is uniquely designed to reward the linguistics major whose core interest is the study of "indigenous" languages, especially the preservation of endangered languages. Undergraduates or graduates may apply for the $1,000 awards.
The Department of Linguistics and English Language at Brigham Young University in Utah offers students studying in the department two scholarships: Graduate or Undergraduate Linguistics Scholarships. Criteria and funding varies and is determined by the department. BYU prepares students for roles in professions as teachers of English Language, in academic research and in computational linguistics.
New Mexico State University offers students in the Department of Languages and Linguistics awards Department Scholarships to majors in either language or linguistics. Awards are $500 and are based on academic record in combination with faculty recommendations.
Students in the English Department at Oklahoma State University may compete for $200 in an essay competition on Teaching English as a Second Language or Linguistics. These are thesis-length essays, not any short little paragraph, so be prepared to make a proposition and support the case. OSU students who prefer the concentration in Linguistics will be prepared for careers as educators in Applied Linguistics or in TESL programs.
The Department of Linguistics at the University of Maryland offers an enticing pair of scholarship opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students:
- Baggett Fellowships offer undergraduates a rare opportunity to expose themselves to an area of linguistics research prior to committing to a graduate program. The program immerses students in the "science of language" including computational linguistics. Baggett Fellows will interact with study groups to conduct research.
- Baggett Summer Scholarships are offered as hard-core internship/research opportunities the likes of the Baggett Fellowships, but less intensive. Baggett Summer Scholarships are designed for underclassmen in the linguistics program.
Professional Scholarships
The Fulbright Scholarship Program is one of the most prestigious. Thousands of students receive scholarships for exchange studies designed for a wide array of study disciplines, including Linguistics. Fulbright opportunities change, so you must check the site for current programs. Linguistics students will commonly find programs in areas where teachers are needed for TESL programs or where they may study the history, including syntax and semantics, of a particular language.
