The department offers graduate degree programs in Linguistics, German, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and undergraduate programs in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, German, and Russian languages and cultures as well as Linguistics. In addition, instruction is offered in other languages such as Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Swahili, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Students study Linguistics, TESOL, Arabic, Chinese, German, Japanese, Russian or other languages as part of their education in the liberal arts and sciences and to increase their effectiveness in scientific research, teaching, government service, foreign trade or advanced scholarship. Within the framework of course offerings and the needs and interests of students, broad flexibility is possible in the department's degree programs. The programs are designed primarily to develop knowledge of linguistics, language teaching, or particular languages, literatures and cultures. Minors are available in Arabic, Chinese, Cognitive Science, German, Japanese, Korean, Linguistics, Russian, and TESOL. The department’s goal is to offer degree candidates in linguistics a solid theoretical and experimental grounding; in TESOL a solid theoretical and practical base in second/foreign language learning and teaching; and in language, literature and culture a combination of traditional training and the pedagogical skills needed in modern school systems, colleges, and universities. In courses and seminars undergraduate research is valued and encouraged.