Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Computational linguist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a computational linguist. Computational linguists usually study linguistics, english, or mathematics. 49% of computational linguists hold a bachelor's degree, and 39% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 111 real computational linguist resumes to see exactly what computational linguist education sections show.
The most common colleges for computational linguists are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
There are also many online computational linguist courses to help get the education required to be a computational linguist.
What education do you need to become a computational linguist?
What degree do you need to be a computational linguist?
- Bachelor's, 49%
- Master's, 39%
- Doctorate, 9%
- Associate, 3%
What should I major in to become a computational linguist?
- Linguistics, 50%
- English, 13%
- Mathematics, 8%
- German Language, 4%
- Other Majors, 25%
Most common colleges for computational linguists
| Computational linguist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 11.63% |
| Georgetown University | 11.63% |
| University of Washington | 9.30% |
| Brigham Young University | 9.30% |
| University of California, Berkeley | 6.98% |
Best majors for computational linguists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linguistics | 50.0% |
| 2 | English | 12.5% |
| 3 | Mathematics | 8.3% |
| 4 | German Language | 4.2% |
| 5 | Computer Science | 2.8% |
Best colleges for computational linguists
The best colleges for computational linguists are New York University, University of California - Los Angeles, and Vanderbilt University.
A computational linguist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for computational linguists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become computational linguists.
1. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
2. University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, HI • Private
In-state tuition
$11,970
Enrollment
12,609
3. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
4. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Enrollment
34,637
7. University of Delaware
Newark, DE • Private
In-state tuition
$13,680
Enrollment
19,060
8. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Enrollment
15,645
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Enrollment
34,911
20 best online courses for computational linguists
Advertising disclosure
1. Natural Language Processing
Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a subfield of linguistics, computer science, and artificial intelligence that uses algorithms to interpret and manipulate human language.\n\nThis technology is one of the most broadly applied areas of machine learning and is critical in effectively analyzing massive quantities of unstructured, text-heavy data. As AI continues to expand, so will the demand for professionals skilled at building models that analyze speech and language, uncover contextual...
2. Miracles of Human Language: An Introduction to Linguistics
Everywhere, every day, everybody uses language. There is no human society, no matter how small or how isolated, which does not employ a language that is rich and diverse. This course introduces you to linguistics, featuring interviews with well-known linguists and with speakers of many different languages. Join us to explore the miracles of human language! The Miracles of Human Language introduces you to the many-faceted study of languages, which has amazed humans since the beginning of history...
3. NLP - Natural Language Processing with Python
Learn to use Machine Learning, Spacy, NLTK, Sci Kit-Learn, Deep Learning, and more to conduct Natural Language Processing...
4. Natural Language Processing (NLP) in Python with 8 Projects
Work on 8 Projects, Learn Natural Language Processing Python, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Spa Cy, NLTK, Sklearn, CNN...
5. Introduction to Computer Information Systems
This Specialization is intended for anyone seeking to learn basic computer skills. Through 3 courses, you will study computer hardware, software, and data safety. You will also learn about digital literacy and productivity tools. These courses will prepare you for a number of jobs within the field of computer information systems...
6. Clinical Natural Language Processing
This course teaches you the fundamentals of clinical natural language processing (NLP). In this course you will learn the basic linguistic principals underlying NLP, as well as how to write regular expressions and handle text data in R. You will also learn practical techniques for text processing to be able to extract information from clinical notes. Finally, you will have a chance to put your skills to the test with a real-world practical application where you develop text processing...
7. Natural Language Processing for Text Summarization
Understand the basic theory and implement three algorithms step by step in Python! Implementations from scratch!...
8. Natural Language Processing: NLP In Python with 2 Projects
Learn NLP with Machine Learning Algorithms, Spacy, NLTK, Text Blob for Text Processing, Text Classification and Much More...
9. Machine Learning: Natural Language Processing in Python (V2)
NLP: Use Markov Models, NLTK, Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, and Data Science in Python...
10. The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Natural Language Processing
Learn step-by-step the main concepts of natural language processing in Python! Build a sentiment classifier!...
11. Modern Natural Language Processing in Python
Solve Seq2Seq and Classification NLP tasks with Transformer and CNN using Tensorflow 2 in Google Colab...
12. Natural Language Processing: NLP With Transformers in Python
Learn next-generation NLP with transformers for sentiment analysis, Q & A, similarity search, NER, and more...
13. Introduction to Natural Language Processing
Learn basics of Natural Language Processing (NLP), Regular Expressions and Text Pre-processing using Python...
14. Data Science: Natural Language Processing (NLP) in Python
Applications: decrypting ciphers, spam detection, sentiment analysis, article spinners, and latent semantic analysis...
15. Data Science: Transformers for Natural Language Processing
Chat GPT, GPT-4, BERT, Deep Learning, Machine Learning, & NLP with Hugging Face, Attention in Python, Tensorflow, Py Torch...
16. From 0 to 1: Machine Learning, NLP & Python-Cut to the Chase
A down-to-earth, shy but confident take on machine learning techniques that you can put to work today...
17. Azure Machine Learning using Cognitive Services
Learn the Azure Machine Learning Studio, Azure Bot Service, Video Indexing service, Computer Vision for OCR and more!...
18. Complete Python Based Image Processing and Computer Vision
Computer Vision Python : Image Recognition & Manipulation : Deep Learning Computer Vision Python : Image Analysis Python...
19. 2023 Natural Language Processing in Python for Beginners
Text Cleaning, Spacy, NLTK, Scikit-Learn, Deep Learning, word2vec, Glo Ve, LSTM for Sentiment, Emotion, Spam & CV Parsing...
20. Certificate Program In Management Information Systems
Learn about the exciting world of Management Information Systems and its impact on the way organisations now function...
Top 10 most affordable universities for computational linguists
The most affordable schools for computational linguists are California State University - Fullerton, queens college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.
If the best universities for computational linguists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for computational linguists.
1. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
2. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
3. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
4. California State University - Northridge
Northridge, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,893
Cost of attendance
18,870
5. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
6. Brigham Young University - Hawaii
Laie, HI • Private
In-state tuition
$5,560
Cost of attendance
18,043
7. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Arecibo
Arecibo, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,872
Cost of attendance
13,476
8. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Barranquitas
Barranquitas, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,902
Cost of attendance
13,479
9. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Ponce
Mercedita, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,914
Cost of attendance
13,564
10. Augusta University
Augusta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$8,604
Cost of attendance
20,618
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for computational linguists
The hardest universities for computational linguists to get into are New York University, University of California - Los Angeles, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for computational linguists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for computational linguists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
2. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
14%
SAT average
1,423
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. University of Rochester
Rochester, NY • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,422
5. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,321
8. Clemson University
Clemson, SC • Private
Admissions rate
47%
SAT average
1,337
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY • Private
Admissions rate
50%
SAT average
1,284
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for computational linguists
The easiest schools for computational linguists to get into are D'Youville College, nyack college, and saint martin's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a computational linguist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for computational linguists.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
3. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
4. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
5. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,019
6. Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,019
7. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
8. Saint Xavier University
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
74%
SAT average
1,061
9. Augusta University
Augusta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
80%
SAT average
1,172
10. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Winona, MN • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,148
Average computational linguist salary by education level
| Computational linguist education level | Computational linguist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $88,203 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $83,464 |
| Doctorate Degree | $91,228 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $70,413 |
Computational linguist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.
Search for computational linguist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025