The Linguistics Department at KU offers a full range of degrees: B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. Its nucleus of full-time faculty members in linguistics, plus several actively involved faculty members in other departments, serves a student body of about 40 graduate students, 80 undergraduate majors, and many nonmajors taking introductory and intermediate courses each semester.

Areas of special strength in the graduate program include Phonetics, Phonology, Syntax, First and Second Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics, and Neurolinguistics. The department also cooperates with other departments, such as Speech-Language-Hearing, Child Language, Indigenous Nations Studies, Anthropology, Education, and Psychology.