Online Courses
The Department of Linguistics at the University of Alberta offers three courses online. Introduction to Linguistics (LING 101), Phonetics (LING 205), and Child Language Acquisition/Language Development in Children and Adolescents (LING 319/CSD 311). If you are interested in taking an online course, this page provides information about prerequisites, the format of the course, as well as how to sign up for the course.
When are these courses offered?
These courses are currently offered online (asynchronous) during the following terms:
Important: These courses are extremely popular and often fill very quickly, sometimes close to the registration opening date. We strongly recommend applying as an active student (eg. through Open Studies) well in advance of registration to ensure you are eligible to register as soon as it opens.
Fall 2026 (Sept 1 - Dec 8) Registration opens May 2026*
LING 101 Introduction to Linguistics Analysis
LING 205 Phonetics - FULL
LING 319/CSD 311 Child Language Acquisition/Language Development in Children & Adolescents - FULL
Winter 2027 (Jan 4 - April 9) Registration opens May 2026*
LING 101 Introduction to Linguistics Analysis
LING 205 Phonetics - FULL
LING 319/CSD 311 Child Language Acquisition/Language Development in Children & Adolescents- FULL
Spring 2027 (May 3 - June 9) Registration opens February 11, 2027*
LING 101 Introduction to Linguistics Analysis
LING 205 Phonetics
LING 319/CSD 311 Child Language Acquisition/Language Development in Children & Adolescents
Note: LING 319 and CSD 311 are the same course but with different course codes. If you have taken LING 319, you cannot take CSD 311 and vice versa.
* You must me an active UofA student or an Open Studies (non-degree) student to be eligible to register.
Prerequisites
Phonetics (LING 205) and Child Language Acquisition/Language Development in Children and Adolescents (LING 319/CSD 311), both require an introductory linguistics course. If you have taken LING 101 here at the University of Alberta, you are set. If you have not, the automated system will not recognize your prerequisite.
If you completed an introductory linguistics class at another institution, please complete and submit the prerequisite waiver form to the Department of Linguistics.
email: lingugr@ualberta.ca
We do accept many courses offered by other universities as suitable prerequisites - please contact us at lingugr@ualberta.ca to confirm if a course you have taken satisfies the prerequisite. There will be an extra form to complete, but it is relatively painless.
How to sign up
The courses are available to students anywhere. If you are already a University of Alberta student, enrol in the course as usual through the Beartracks system. If you are not, you must become a student. Most online students register through Open Studies - see the Open Studies page for more information about that.
Deadline to apply to Open Studies
Application to apply to Open Studies
Once you are a student, you may enroll in the class using the Beartracks system. Keep in mind that we generally offer multiple sections of the phonetics course every semester. Be careful to pick the one flagged as "online delivery". This page gives important dates for the term. Course registration opens in February for the Spring semester and April for the Fall semester.
If your pre-requisite comes from another university, it is at this stage that the paperwork is required. However, students are strongly advised to confirm that their linguistics background will satisfy the prerequisite requirement before they put money down for Open Studies. The application fee cannot normally be recovered if you discover after the fact that you are not eligible to take the phonetics course.
For help regarding fees or how to register, you should contact Student Connect.