Overview

The two-year Master of Science program in Computational Linguistics is designed for outstanding students with an undergraduate degree in linguistics, computer science, the study of language, or a related field. This interdisciplinary MS provides a solid foundation for professional work in the field or pursuit of a PhD in computational or theoretical linguistics. Visit our department’s prospective students page for more information. Application information can be found below.

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How to Apply

Application Deadlines

Master’s: Priority deadline is January 15. Applications will be considered after this date on a space-available basis, but no later than April 1.

Five-Year Bachelor's/Master's Program: Current Brandeis undergraduates should apply for the Bachelor's/Master's program during their sixth semester at Brandeis.

Application Requirements

As much as possible, your application materials should demonstrate your quantitative and programming ability.  We frequently accept students with academic backgrounds outside of computer science or math. To be competitive candidates for admission, we strongly recommend that such students take at least one programming and possibly a discrete math course as early as possible before beginning the program. Full details of our recommendations, including on selecting such courses, can be found in our FAQ for prospective students.

• An online application
• An application fee
• Transcripts from all universities and colleges attended must be uploaded to your application; do not mail official transcripts to our office. For more information, visit Frequently Asked Questions.
• Two letters of recommendation are required, submitted electronically. The BA/MS program requires only one letter of recommendation. Ideally, your letter writers will be faculty and/or employers who know you well and at least one of them can speak to your quantitative and/or programming abilities. Ideally, at least one letter will speak to your most recent study or employment, and at least one letter will be from a faculty member at an institution at which you studied or are studying towards a degree.
• A curriculum vitae (CV) or resumé
• A statement of purpose: Applicants should be prepared to (1) List any previous courses taken, or a major or minor completed, in any of the following subject areas: Computer Science, Linguistics, Mathematics, and/or sciences other than Computer Science. (2) List any/all computer programming languages known and your level of knowledge (i.e. basic, moderate, advanced).
  • For the Master's: Please upload a statement of purpose in essay form indicating your reasons for undertaking graduate study. What has attracted you to the specific field of computational linguistics/natural language processing?  How much knowledge do you have about the sort of work done within this field, and where did you pick up this knowledge? Please be as detailed and complete as possible.
  • For the BA/MS: In addition to the same as above, you should also discuss how you plan to complete your bachelor's degree requirements along with beginning master's coursework.

• The Graduate Record Exam (GRE): Due to continuing constraints posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Computational Linguistics program will no longer be requiring the GRE exam for applicants seeking admission for fall 2021. However, if it is still feasible for you to take the exam, the program recommends doing so, particularly for those who have yet to take computer programming or college/university-level mathematics coursework. Should you wish to take the GRE exam but it is not possible for you to do so prior to our January 15th priority deadline, please email scigradoffice@brandeis.edu to discuss possible exam date options. You can submit your application prior to taking the GRE by entering your upcoming exam date on the Test Score page of your application, leaving the score fields blank. Our ETS institution code is 3092 (please note: this institution code only applies to GRE scores). MyBest™ scores from ETS will not be accepted. The GRE is waived for Brandeis undergraduates applying to the Bachelor's/Master's.
• Additional Requirements for International Applicants: Score report from one of the following English language proficiency exams: TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Revised Paper-delivered Test, TOEFL ITP Plus for China Solution, IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, or Duolingo English Test. You can arrange for the delivery of your TOEFL iBT or Revised Paper-delivered Test score report by providing ETS with our institution code, 3261 (no department code is necessary); please note that MyBest™ scores from ETS will not be accepted. Delivery of your TOEFL ITP Plus scores can be arranged via your Vericant account, delivery of your Duolingo scores can be arranged via your Duolingo account, and delivery of your PTE Academic scores can be arranged via your Pearson account. Further information about this requirement can be found on the International Students page. 

For a more comprehensive description of application requirements, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.