Applied Language Studies

About the Program

Minor

Sometimes called applied linguistics, the field of Applied Language Studies (ALS) is devoted to the study of particular domains of language learning and use, such as foreign language learning and teaching, bi- and multilingualism, translation and interpretation, communication in professional contexts, or intercultural communication. The ALS minor will help students use their language learning experience, for example, to gain an understanding of:

• How languages are learned.
• How language is related to individual cognition and social context.
• How languages are used to achieve a wide range of social, cultural, aesthetic purposes.
• How language relates to culture, power, and identity.
• How language and other symbolic systems construct both actual and virtual realities.
• What it means to be bi- or multilingual.

This minor will be particularly useful for those who have experienced learning or speaking a language other than English, but it is open to all undergraduates.

Offered by the Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies Division (UGIS) of the College of Letters & Science. There is no major program in Applied Language Studies.

Declaring the Minor

Students should submit the Applied Language Studies Minor Declaration Application  no later than the semester before their Expected Graduation Term (EGT) and petition to confirm the completion of the minor to Michelle Herrera (UGIS) no later than a student's EGT. The minor completion form may be emailed to her at michellerh@berkeley.edu, or paper copies can be submitted to her in 263 Evans Hall.

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Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements.

General Guidelines

1. All minors must be declared before the first day of classes in your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). For summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A. 

2. All upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade. 

3. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.

4. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required in the upper-division courses to fulfill the minor requirements.

5. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.

6. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.

7. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If students cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, they should see a College of Letters & Science adviser.

8. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

Requirements

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 Graduate courses require the permission of the instructor.