Computational Linguistics

The follow-up master program in computational linguistics is designed especially for graduates of bachelor program, however the graduates of related programs (mostly philological, or computer science) are also welcomed. The aim of the study is to deepen the knowledge of the computational and corpus linguistics, to extend the skills in algorithmic description of different language levels, a wider view on the traditional and computational linguistics and its development and context. Focus is on strengthening the programming skills, especially in the area of advanced natural language processing techniques. Courses are realized with the cooperation of the Institute of the Czech language of the Faculty of Arts, (the guarantor of the program), and the departments of the Faculty of Informatics MU.

The goal of the program is not only to educate professionals with a comprehensive education, but also prepare the students for both practice and for academic career. Thus the master program emphasizes the involvement of students in research projects (participation in the projects, participation in conferences, publication). The students are supported to cooperate with organizations and companies focusing on relevant topics and participate in these organizations (especially in South Moravian region) during their studies as interns. The students are encouraged to participate in foreign mobility programs (Erasmus+, CEEPUS). Much attention is aimed on the preparation of high-quality thesis, often focusing on solutions applicable in practice. Education of master students seeks to ensure that the graduates have a good knowledge of linguistics, computational linguistics and corpus linguistics, good orientation in computer technology, competence to communicate in literary Czech and in English, and ability to work in a team, and thus they are equipped for utilization at the labour market. The knowledge of other foreign languages, supported by studies in combination with another philological program, is also an asset.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• put the Czech language in the context of other natural languages;
• explain the process of the development of literal Czech;
• characterize the main milestones in the development of computational linguistics;
• use an algorithmic description of various levels of the Czech language;
• use the programming languages and advanced techniques in natural language processing;
• use their extensive knowledge of the literary language and its codification, and their great skills of written and spoken language (with an emphasis on professional style);
• write knowledgeably about the given topic using the appropriate methods and a wide range of Czech and foreign specialized literature;
• apply a comprehensive professional linguistic (bohemistics) and partial IT education as a prerequisite to doctoral study;

Graduates of the master program are valued for their very good knowledge of the Czech language, experience from the field of natural language processing and high-quality insight into IT. They can find a job using Czech, English or other languages (proofreading, copywriting, technical writing, localization). An ideal place for the computational linguistics graduates are companies from the field of information technology focused on using natural language and obtaining information from the text, for example Google, Seznam, Red Hat, or Moravia. Follow-up master program provides its students a deeper knowledge of the studied subject, more contacts with the application sphere and obtaining a number of other experiences from foreign study visits. All this allows for more varied selection of jobs on the labour market with the potential to work in higher positions. Gifted students interested in further education obtain theoretically-methodological background for doctoral studies in the field of linguistics and computer science.

Students commonly engage in practice already during their studies in the form of both internal and external internships. The internship can be recognised and valued 5 credits as the PLIN061 - Internship for Master's Degree after confirmation of at least 40 hours worked in a given calendar year, with one or more employers.

The master theses in the area of computational linguistics are targeted mainly on application and their results being usable in practice. However theoretical theses are not excluded. Students can choose between topics focused more on linguistics or IT in connection with the choice of the thesis supervisor being either from the Faculty of Arts or from Faculty of Informatics MU. The theses connecting linguistics with computer science typically have also a consultant thus ensuring the quality in both fields. Emphasis is placed on the detailed contextualization of the topic in linguistics, computational linguistics or computer science in both Czech and international environment. The master's theses are expected to show deeper knowledge of the theories and methodologies used. Emphasis is placed on, if possible innovative, contribution of the student.

Master thesis shall comply with the requirements on this type of output, which includes a good text structure, clarity and conciseness, clear interpretation of results, adequate typographical quality, and list of bibliographic sources.

The theses can be written in English, especially those that have the potential to be published internationally.

After graduating from the computational linguistics master program students can continue to relevant PhD programs (philology, computer science) at the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Informatics MU or at other universities.