This English-taught Master of Science programme, offered by the Institute for Natural Language Processing within Faculty 5 (Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology) in Stuttgart, Germany, prepares you to work on real-world language technology such as dialogue systems, machine translation and search engines. It is designed to deepen your theoretical understanding and practical abilities in the automatic processing of written and spoken language, building on prior studies in related fields.
The course begins with an intensive module that refreshes core concepts in computational linguistics. After that you choose from three specialist tracks—core computational linguistics, applied natural language processing, and speech processing—while gaining hands‑on experience in a CL team laboratory in the second semester. A dedicated CL research module in the third semester readies you for the Master’s thesis. Beyond the compulsory modules and the thesis, a broad selection of elective courses is available from the Institute for Natural Language Processing as well as the university’s Computer Science and Linguistics departments, allowing you to tailor the degree to your interests.
This four-semester Master's curriculum (effective for students beginning in the winter semester 2024 and later) combines core methodological training, practical teamwork, and research preparation with flexible electives so you can tailor the degree to your interests. The first semester establishes foundational approaches in computational linguistics, including a dedicated course on methods and an introductory deep learning unit (listed as "Intro to DL for STP"). Subsequent semesters progressively move from applied lab work to an independent research focus, culminating in a Master's thesis in the fourth semester.
Key learning outcomes include:
For complete details (module descriptions, credit allocation, examination rules), consult the Study and Examination Regulations—these are provided as a downloadable PDF.
Requirements (semester-by-semester snapshot)
Applicants are expected to hold an undergraduate degree in a discipline that provides a solid foundation for computational linguistics. Degrees in computational linguistics, natural language processing, computer science or linguistics directly match this expectation because they cover the linguistic and computational skills needed for the program.
Degrees in closely related fields that include relevant coursework or experience (for example, work with programming, language analysis, or statistical methods) are also considered appropriate preparation. International applicants should ensure their bachelor’s qualification is comparable to those listed when preparing their application.
Winter Semester (International)
15 July 2026
Summer Semester (International)
15 January 2027
Winter Semester (EU/EEA)
15 July 2026
Summer Semester (EU/EEA)
15 January 2027
Graduates are prepared for technical roles in industry such as NLP engineer, machine translation specialist, speech technology developer, search and information retrieval engineer, or data scientist applying language technologies. The programme's mix of theory, applied NLP and practical team projects targets employability in tech companies, research labs, startups, and organisations deploying dialogue systems, translation tools and speech-enabled applications.
The research-oriented structure and the CL research module also provide a solid basis for doctoral studies and academic careers in computational linguistics and related fields. Students with interdisciplinary backgrounds (CS, linguistics) can leverage the degree for roles bridging linguistic expertise and machine learning or software development teams.