Indiana University Bloomington

How this program compares

Benchmark this program against our national recognition pages and use the key guides below to evaluate ROI, admissions difficulty, and outcomes.

Admission Snapshot

Typical admitted student: Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree with coursework in linguistics, computer science, mathematics, or a related field. A strong background in programming and linguistics is highly valued, though prerequisite deficiencies may be addressed through additional coursework.

About This Program

This professional degree prepares students for technical careers in language technology by focusing on natural language processing and speech-based applications.

Career Outcomes

Advance as NLP Engineer in Cross-Industry AI with machine learning expertise

• 1. Natural Language Processing Engineer
• 2. Computational Linguist
• 3. Speech Technology Developer
• 4. Machine Learning Engineer (Language/AI focus)

What You'll Learn

• Design and implement computational systems for language analysis, including parsers, taggers, and semantic analyzers
• Apply machine learning and neural network methods to linguistic problems and natural language understanding tasks
• Analyze morphological, syntactic, and phonological patterns computationally and model language acquisition processes
• Develop speech processing applications including synthesis, recognition, and acoustic signal analysis

Curriculum Highlights

The curriculum features advanced natural language processing, speech processing, and machine learning, with elective options in computer science and informatics.

Top Employers

Top employers include technology companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple; speech and voice technology firms; and AI research labs and government agencies developing language technologies.

Admissions

Applicants should hold a bachelor's degree with coursework in linguistics, computer science, mathematics, or a related field. A strong background in programming and linguistics is highly valued, though prerequisite deficiencies may be addressed through additional coursework.

Application Materials

• Statement of Purpose: Required
• Letters of Recommendation: 3 (preferably from professors in linguistics or computer science)
• Resume: Required
• Transcripts: Official transcripts required
• Portfolio or Code Samples: Optional but recommended for demonstrating programming proficiency

Academic Requirements

• Degree Required: Master of Science (MS)
• GRE: Typically required (quantitative and verbal sections emphasized)
• TOEFL/IELTS: Required for international students (TOEFL 105 iBT minimum / IELTS 7.5 minimum)[4]