About this major
Computational Linguistics is an interdisciplinary field combining computer science and linguistics to understand and develop technologies that process natural language. Students learn about language structure, machine learning, and how to build systems like speech recognition and language translation tools.
Student Reviews Summary
Curriculum snapshot
Introduction to Computational Linguistics
Covers the basic principles of how computers process and understand human languages.
Natural Language Processing
Focuses on algorithms and models for processing natural language data, including syntax and semantic analysis.
Machine Learning for Language
Explores machine learning techniques and their application to linguistic data.
Syntax and Semantics
Examines the structure and meaning of language, providing foundational knowledge essential for computational analysis.
Speech Recognition and Synthesis
Teaches the technology behind converting speech to text and vice versa, including acoustic modeling.
Language Data and Corpora
Studies the collection and analysis of language data used in computational models.
Career outcomes
- Computational Linguist
- Natural Language Processing Engineer
- Data Scientist
- AI Researcher
- Speech Recognition Specialist
Pros
- High demand in tech industry
- Interdisciplinary skill set
- Opportunities in AI and machine learning
Considerations
- Requires strong programming skills
- Constantly evolving technology
- Interdisciplinary nature may require additional study
Similar majors
Computer Science
Focuses on the theoretical and practical aspects of computing; foundational for computational linguistics.
Linguistics
Studies the structure and meaning of languages; provides necessary knowledge about language for computational applications.
Artificial Intelligence
Involves creating intelligent machines; overlaps with NLP in creating language understanding systems.
Data Science
Focuses on analyzing and interpreting complex data; computational linguistics often involves large language datasets.
Cognitive Science
Explores the mind and intelligence, including language processing; relevant for understanding human language interaction with machines.