Programme Description for the MA Programme (ISCL)
The Master Course starts each year with the beginning of the winter semester as well as with the beginning of the summer semester and for lasts four semesters (two years), including the necessary time for the completion of the Masters thesis.
In the M.A. course of study, the student must successfully complete seven upper level courses. Admissible course requirements usually include a term paper to be written in each semester, a three hour written exam, or a 30 minute oral examination.
At least four of the upper level courses must be from the subject of Computational Linguistics.
At least two of the Computational Linguistics courses as well as the topic of the M.A. thesis must be from the area of the student's selected topic of specialization: either from Practical or Theoretical Computational Linguistics.
Possible topics in Computational Linguistics courses are:
- Grammar Formalisms
- Computational Lexicography
- Information Retrieval
- Mathematical Methods and Logic
- Machine Learning and Quantitative Methods
In addition, students can take seminars comprising up to twenty semester periods per week from one of the minor subjects of the B.A. program of Computational Linguistics or from a related field.
By the end of the M.A. program, students are supposed to have obtained the following qualifications:
- Extensive knowledge of modern formal language and grammar theories and methodology and techniques of language description, as well as the ability to implement these in Computational Linguistics
- The ability to work both practically and scientifically using the techniques and methods of computational linguistics for the analysis of natural languages
- Insight into the motivation and rationale of programming methods of computational linguistics, relevant data types, grammars and abstract machines
- Competence with the academic fundamentals and with academic problem-solving either in Applied or Theoretical Computational Linguistics
- Extended knowledge in a discipline neighboring Computational Linguistics, e.g., General Linguistics, German Linguistics or Slavic Linguistics.
For more details, please refer to the Module handbook and the Exam regulations.
Language of Instruction
Lessons in the ISCL programs are generally taught in English.
Grading
The coursework in the various academic sections will follow regulations of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The system will reflect the value of the course and the amount of work involved, in proportion to the overall coursework required in an academic year.
M.A. Exam
The M.A. examination period involves handing in the documentation for the attended university courses, lectures, tutorials and practice sessions. It also involves an oral exam and an M.A. thesis, which must be dedicated to the chosen area of study.
You will find detailed exam regulations in the Exam regulations.
Examiners currently approved to supervise M.A. theses at the Department of Linguistics:
- Gerhard Jäger
- Detmar Meurers
- Erhard Hinrichs
- Harald Baayen
- Chris Bentz
- Cagri Çöltekin
- Johannes Dellert
- Martí Quixal
- Michael Ramscar
- Thorsten Trippel
as well as upon request.