College of Science &
College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences

Computational Linguistics Minor

Where language science meets computing, enabling students to build, evaluate, and understand technologies that process human language.

Explore the curriculum ↓
Artificial intelligenceData + algorithmsSyntaxNLPMachine learningPhonologyPragmaticsLanguage acquisition
Computational
Linguistics
Overview & purpose

Two intertwined fields.
One polytechnic experience.

The minor bridges computer science and linguistics in the design and deployment of technology that understands, processes, and generates human language.

01

Built for an AI-driven workforce

Students gain mathematical, quantitative, algorithmic, and programming skills through a feasible program that can complement any major.

02

Grounded in language science

Students examine the science and systematicity of language use across domains, not just model outputs at the surface level.

03

Designed around applied research

A hands-on culminating project gives students the opportunity to integrate computational and linguistic methods.

04

Connected across colleges

Students gain a cross-college experience and access to cutting-edge equipment through the hapii lab, LaLaLab, and more.

Curriculum

A focused 30-unit pathway

  • MAT 1050 College Algebra or MAT 1052 College Algebra Stretch II
  • STA 1200, STA 1202, STA 1300, or STA 2100
  • CS 1260 Python for Beginners or CS 2520 Python for Programmers
  • CS 2410 Fundamentals of Data Science
  • ENG 2200 Introduction to Linguistics
  • ENG 4650W Culminating Project
  • CS 4170 Natural Language Processing
  • CS 4200 Artificial Intelligence
  • CS 4210 Machine Learning and Its Applications
  • CS 4250 Web Search and Recommender Systems
  • CS 4440 Data Mining
  • CS 4680 Prompt Engineering
  • ENG 4211 Fundamentals of Syntax
  • ENG 4212 Language Acquisition
  • ENG 4221 Analysis of Conversation
  • ENG 4222 Applied Pragmatics
  • ENG 4223 Applied Phonology
  • ENG 4224 Digital Analysis of Texts
Applications

Language technology is everywhere.

Computational linguistics powers products and decisions across technology, education, medicine, law, and media.

Large language modelsText generation and reasoning
Machine translationCross-language communication
Speech & voice assistantsSpoken-language interfaces
Conversational AIChatbots and virtual assistants
Semantic searchInformation retrieval and discovery
Clinical text analysisHealthcare documentation tools
Legal document analysisContract review and e-discovery
Social media analysisMonitoring and audience insights
Language learningAdaptive education platforms
CPP advantage

Interdisciplinary by design

The minor builds on CPP’s strengths in Computer Science and Applied Linguistics, as well as demonstrated student interest in interdisciplinary data-focused programs.

Technical advantage

Combine analytical language training with algorithmic thinking, and evaluate model outputs beyond surface-level metrics.

Communication advantage

Translate between engineers and domain experts while designing stronger annotation guidelines and linguistic datasets.

Career advantage

Move between technical and language-focused roles with a foundation for graduate study in CL, AI, or data science.

Market demand

A versatile path into language technology

Computational linguists work across big tech, government, healthcare, law, media, and academia.

In-demand roles

  • Computational Linguist
  • NLP Engineer
  • Speech Recognition Engineer
  • Conversational AI Designer
  • Language Technology Specialist
  • Text / NLP Data Scientist
  • Forensic Computing Specialist

Interdisciplinary fit

  • Engineering and product teams
  • Localization and translation
  • Clinical and legal analytics
  • Research and graduate study
  • Human-centered AI evaluation
Distinctive interdisciplinary preparationHUMAN-CENTERED AI
Contact

Questions about the minor?

Please contact the minor’s faculty coordinators.