LSA Programs and Services for Students
The LSA recognizes that students are the future of our profession, and organizes numerous programs, services, events, and other benefits to enhance their professional development, make participation in signal events like our Annual Meeting and Lingusitic Institute more affordable, and provide guidance to students throughout their scholarly careers. Benefits restricted to the LSA's student members are listed first.
Benefits Exclusive to the LSA's Student Members
- Complimentary Annual Meeting registration for LSA student members who volunteer eight hours of their time over the course of the meeting. Watch for a call for volunteers in early September. The LSA needs approximately 50 volunteers.
- Eligibility to apply for one of dozens of fellowships covering tuition (and sometimes more) at the LSA's biennial Linguistic Institutes and CoLang
- Access to the Linguistics Mentoring Alliance
- Diversity Travel Grants: provide funding for students from underrepresented ethnic minorities to attend the Annual Meeting
- Student Abstract Award: cash prizes are given for the three highest-rated abstracts authored solely by students
- Elizabeth Dayton Award: provides funding for a graduate student in sociolinguistics to attend the Annual Meeting
- Eligibility to join COSIAC, the LSA's Committee on Student Issues and Concerns
- Student representation on the LSA's governing board -- its Executive Committee -- in the person of the Bernard and Julia Bloch Fellow
- Eligibility to to serve on LSA Committees and Special Interest Groups
- Eligibiity to serve as the student representative to the Program Committee, which shapes the scholarly content of the LSA Annual Meeting
- Student Ambassador Initiative: the LSA's Student Ambassadors generate awareness of the LSA and strengthen its connections with linguistics programs and departments across the country.
- Eligibility to have your peer-reviewed publications promoted in the Student Research Spotlight
- Priority registration for LSA webinars
Read more about Benefits for All LSA Members, including students.
The following services are available to any student, regardless of LSA membership status:
Student Resources at the LSA Annual Meeting
- Career Mixer (with focus on careers beyond academia) hosted by the Linguistics Beyond Academia Special Interest Group
- Friday evening graduate panel session with a student-specific agenda
- Student Lounge with light refreshments, free wifi, and resource materials
- Expert Sessions on topics such as CV construction, professional self-presentation, applying for grants, and more
- Pop-Up Mentoring
- Student Mixer: enjoy a few hours' of R&R with your fellow students at a fun offsite venue, courtesy of the LSA and the Committee for Student Issues and Concerns
Benefits Related to LSA Membership
- Complimentary one-year regular membership for recent Ph.D.s
- 20-25 percent bulk student membership discounts for groups of five or more students
LSA-sponsored student resources at the LSA's Linguistic Institutes and CoLang
- Student focus groups and professional development workshops
- Pop-Up Mentoring
- Directory of Institute faculty mentors and topics
Other Programs and Services of Special Interest to Students
- Compendium of resources "Especially for Students"
- Student Internship Program: paid and volunteer student internships give students an opportunity to learn more about the field of linguistics, the professional needs of LSA members, and the LSA’s broader agenda to advance the scientific study of language. This internship also provides exposure to the workings of a small non-profit organization based in the nation’s capital.
- LSA online Jobs Center, including job listings, career development resources, and more.
- Linguistics Beyond Academia Special Interest Group: a programming resource for students curious about career opportunities using your linguistics skill set outside of tenure-line academia.*
- Why Major In Linguistics? brochure
- North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (NACLO)
- Directory of Linguistics Programs and Departments
- Free membership for K-12 students and teachers