Careers

Careers in Linguistics 

Opportunities Available to Linguists

The LSA has many resources available to those interested in pursuing a linguistics career. Professional opportunities available to linguists range across industry, academia, government and the non-profit sectors. 

• Click Here for an Overview.

 

For Prospective and Current Linguistics Majors 

Career paths with a B.A. 

Browse our free booklet or purchase one of the full-length publications below.  Note that a portion of the sales from both books benefits the LSA.   

• Why Major in Linguistics (brochure) 
• Why Study Linguistics (full publication)  
• The Five Minute Linguist (full publication) 

 

Considering graduate school?  

Explore opportunities for networking with graduate students and find more resources such as how to be a successful grad school applicant. Tip! Ask faculty at your university about funding for institutes and conferences.  

• Attend the LSA Annual Meeting or a summer institute
  • ​CoLang Institute (even years)
  • Linguistic Institute (odd years) 
• Check out the LSA Resource Center (see Undergraduates) 

  

For Current Graduate Students  

Select Funding Opportunities 

Take advantage of funding opportunities particular to linguists, those doing work abroad, female students, international students and more.  

• NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (Linguistics Program)  
• Applicant Information -- Fulbright-Hays--Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (ed.gov) 
• Pathways to Science Programs 

Professional Development Resources 

Explore a wide variety of career resources targeted to graduate students including how-to webinars and links to student training programs. 

• LSA Resource Center (see Careers & Grants and funding) 

 

For Job-seekers 

Finding and Applying for Jobs 

Browse vacancies posted by employers, explore how-to's on applying for jobs in various industries, and learn how to post your CV for employers to find you.  

• LSA Job Listings  
• Applying for Academic Positions (courtesy of UCLA’s Department of Linguistics) 
• Applying for Practice Settings Positions (courtesy of the Linguistics Beyond Academia special interest group )
   

Career Advancement 

Ongoing Events and Opportunities 

Take advantage of the LSA’s many resources and opportunities to take your career to the next level. 

• Visit LSA's Event Calendar 
• Publish your research 
• Serve on an LSA committee 
• Collaborate at summer institutes 
• Check out LBA's Career Launch 

 

Professional Development Resources 

Discover a wealth of materials, tools, and services to help linguists at all career stages and in all industries to develop professional skill sets. Here you’ll find instructive webinars, useful handouts and links, career-related research, and more.  
 

• LSA Resource Center (see Careers)