Computing Science and Linguistics Joint Major

OVERVIEW

The School of Computing Science and the Department of Linguistics offer this joint major in the area of computational linguistics. Computational Linguistics (or Natural Language Processing) refers to the processing of human languages through computers.

Decode how we acquire languages, how we use them and how they work. Gain widely marketable skills and knowledge as linguists work in many areas, and tailor your educational path to your career interests. Acquire transferable skills on constructing logical arguments, problem-solving and analytical thinking.

Program Highlights

Optional, paid co-op work experience
Degree flexibility allows you to shape your courses around study topics that interest you
World-renowned faculty who are leaders in their fields and represent research excellence

school School of Computing Science

description Joint Major

calendar_month 4 years

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Program at-a-glance

Imagine a world where you can pick up a phone and talk in English, while at the other end of the line your words are spoken in Chinese. Or imagine automatically uncovering protein/drug interactions in petabytes of medical abstracts.

This specialized program will equip students with a unique skillset which intersects linguistics and computing science.

Year 1 & 2 - students will learn the basics of OS security, develop and understanding of phonetics, be introduced to computing systems programming, and be able to write Python programs.

Years 3 & 4 - students will have advanced knowledge of language models, machine learning and translation, databased application and design, as well as computational modeling of language processing phenomena

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What You’ll Learn

This four-year Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) program is taught at SFU’s Burnaby campus. If you want to construct and model systems that represent the meaning of natural language, then you will be interested in this program. Study elements of computing, linguistics, cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence.

Below are some core topics and themes explored in the program:

Computational Linguistics

Examine the methods of constructing and modelling systems, which extract and represent natural language - drawing on linguistics, cognitive psychology, and artificial intelligence.

Data Structures & Analysis

Design and analyze of efficient data structures and algorithms. Students learn general techniques for building and analyzing algorithms.

Linguistics

Introduces students to the systematic nature of language by exploring the patterns of sounds, words, sentences and meanings in English and other languages.

Career possibilities

The world is changing rapidly and so is the full range of career opportunities that await. Armed with the necessary knowledge and skills, graduates pursue careers in jobs such as:

Data Scientist
Embedded Software Engineer
Natural Language Processing Engineer
Research Linguist
Speech Scientist
Voice User Interface Designer

Further Program Information

Discover more details about this program on our 'current students' pages:

How to Apply

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Faculty of Applied Sciences

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