Hello 🙂 I’m a firstyear LifeSci student, but I’m really interested in language/linguistics as well. I’m having a bit of trouble of figuring out how to balance the two out, though. I was wondering if I were to do a linguistics minor for this bachelor’s degree, it is possible to get another bachelor’s degree with a linguistics major & use some of the courses from my 1st degree so that I don’t have to repeat courses? Is there any way for me to use courses from a previous degree at all? Thanks!
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hey there,
i get it;?you’re young. all your bones don’t yet ache. your life is stretching out ahead of you and you’re thinking, “yeah! two bachelor’s degrees sounds?totally reasonable!” and yes, some people have a change of heart at the end of their first undergrad and decide to do a second, and more power to them.
however, there is a way to do life sci and linguistics without having to spend eight years at this school. and THAT is the path an old codger like ME would recommend. consider the magic of: a double major.
i don’t know what life sci program in particular you’re looking at, but most majors require 7 or 8 credits. linguistics requires 7.0 FCEs. that means that you only need to complete 15.0 FCEs max to finish a double major in linguistics and something else – and that’s likely including a whole bunch of first-year courses i’m guessing you took this past year (i’m thinking CHM138+9, BIO120+130, MAT135+6, etc.).
i don’t know your exact situation, so it may not be possible for you to do the double major, but i would look into it. even if you had to take a fifth year to complete both majors, that would be more efficient, time- and money-wise, than doing two bachelor’s degrees.
technically, you?could do a minor in linguistics in your first degree and a major in a?second degree, as long as you weren’t graduating with the same degree both times (i.e. a bachelor in arts and a bachelor in arts, or a bachelor in science and a bachelor in science) (see “Admission of External Students to a Second Degree Program“).
however, it would be a lot easier to do the minor, graduate, and then come back as a special student and just pick up the 3.0 additional FCEs you’d need to complete the linguistics major.
FINALLY, one more caveat to all this second degree and special student stuff: these are the rules as they stand NOW, but they could change in the three years it’ll take you to graduate, so take all of this with a grain of salt.
i know that’s a lot to consider.?if you need more help, please feel free to book an appointment with your college registrar’s office, ’cause they’re super helpful with this kinda stuff.
xoxo,
aska