For the basic classes, it’s pretty, well, basic:
- Two years of college or other post-high-school study
- Minimum GPA of 2.75
- College-level ability in English (For Deaf people: ASL and written English)
We can make exceptions in some cases, so if you’re interested, write the director and ask.
Most advanced classes, of course, have other prerequisites; see the course descriptions.
If you like languages, they are fun, engaging, and challenging. All our courses put you in the driver’s seat to the world of linguistics. Homework is challenging yet rewarding. You get to work with real data that linguists have collected through the years.
Some classes are extremely hands-on. We provide native speakers of languages from around the world for you to learn from and to show you how this actually works. In these courses, you will be collecting and analyzing the data.
Want to see for yourself? Come visit us some summer.
The summer program is just that, a summer. We meet from early June to early August. (That’s 9 weeks; check our dates page for more details.)
Some people come for just one summer; others come back for more.
The M.A. program typically consists of 4 or 5 summers.
Our Certificate in Community-Based Literacy can be earned in one summer.
Our schooling trains you for several different occupations. We have many training tracks to head you in a different directions. These include, but are not limited to
- working with minority language groups all over the world
- translation
- language research
- language survey
- building others in literacy
- teaching and consulting
- language advocacy
- etc.
Plus, learning to think clearly about language will help you in any field that uses language (which is practically all of them).
A lot, we hope! We have a special focus on sign languages from all over the world, and we welcome Deaf people. If we know you’re coming, we’ll have ASL interpreters for classes, meetings, parties, etc. In fact, typically 20% of our community signs, so we hope you will feel very comfortable and welcome. To do well in classes, you have to have college-level ability in reading/writing English and signing ASL.
When you start the application process, we ask you what classes you’re interested in taking. That helps us plan, but you’re not committed yet. Talk to us if your plans change.
Most people register officially with UND on the day before classes start (see dates), as part of our orientation activities. That way, we can help you if you’re not familiar with UND’s registration system.
If for some reason you need to register earlier in the spring, write to our director.
Yes. All SIL-UND courses are fully-accredited by UND. Several other schools have degree programs that require students to take SIL-UND courses. Ask your school if they will let you use SIL-UND classes as part of your degree.
All transcripts are issued by UND, not SIL. See this page for details.
See also our FAQs on practical questions.
Still have questions? Get in touch!