Linguistics Advising

The Department of Linguistics is always available to answer your questions about any of the linguistics degrees, our programs, your course choices, and your career, among others. We have an excellent mentoring and advising structure that we hope you will take advantage of while you're here!

Undergraduate Advising

It's always best to contact your academic advisor, Lauren Kelly, first. She'll help you navigate all the university and college requirements that pertain to general education and transfer courses, planning your linguistics major, negotiating Next Steps or Back2UA, among many other things. Please note that Lauren Kelly is on leave from late September 2023 to Summer 2024. Please connect with either Laura Owen (lauraowen@arizona.edu) or Christopher Cruz (cbcruz75@arizona.edu) in SBS Advising while Lauren is out. You can find their appointment schedules in Trellis.

For questions that require knowledge of the field (elective courses that fit your interests, planning for a career or graduate school in linguistics, how to get involved in research or with the department, etc.), please connect with the Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Diane Ohala. As a linguist and faculty member, she has the insider's know-how that can best position you to achieve your linguistic-specific goals. Finally, your pathway to success will be enhanced if you check in with Lauren and Diane at least once a year (once a semester is even better!).

I’ve been the Director of Undergraduate Studies in linguistics for nearly two decades and it's one of the aspects of my job that I love best. Talking with all of you, helping you map out your courses, learning about your interests, and helping you choose the right career path is extremely rewarding. Please come talk with me whenever you have questions; I look forward to answering them. I'm also the Honors Advisor for Linguistics, so you are welcome to direct any questions about receiving honors in linguistics to me as well.

My professional interests are in language acquisition and phonology, so the courses I teach at the undergraduate level are on those topics (very often Ling 341, Ling 432, Ling 314, Ling 315, as well as Ling 201). My recent research has focused on phonological acquisition in young Welsh-English bilinguals. On the personal side, I love to read mysteries, do jigsaw and crossword puzzles, watch BritBox and Acorn, spend time with my family, and spend as much time near the ocean as I can.

I'm an Academic Advisor here to help with any questions you may have on general education or university requirements, and to connect you with resources and opportunities on campus. I graduated from NAU with a B.A. in English, and then quickly retreated back to the desert. I am also currently serving as an Academic Advisor for English and Creative Writing students, and previously I worked in UA Admissions. When I'm not advising, I'm reading way too many books to my son, telling stories about my cats, or trying to plan a new adventure.

Office Hours

Your LING undergraduate advising team is here to help you! Please reach out to us at any time or drop-in during our office hours. You can find contact information and appointment availability in Trellis for both Lauren and Diane.

Graduate Advising

Please contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Robert Henderson (rhenderson@arizona.edu) or our Program Coordinator, Joshua Carlin (jcarlin117@arizona.edu) with questions about our Graduate Programs.