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This FAQ addresses common questions we receive. If your question is not covered here, in the study pages, or in the relevant study guide, please contact our study advisor, Simon Clematide, at study@cl.uzh.ch.
What is meant by the words "degree", "subjects" and "modules" at the University of Zurich? How do I book a module?
Read this guide.
In which language are our courses taught?
All courses on the BA and MA level offered by the CL Department are taught in English.
Is the study time limited? Do I have to complete my studies within a certain period of time? How long is a proof of achievement, e.g. a passed module, valid?
For subjects of the Faculty of Arts there is currently neither a time limit for study nor a limited validity of credits.
Which minimum courses should I take in the first and second semesters when studying Computational Linguistics & Language Technology?
The most important information is compiled on the page First Notes for Beginners. More detailed information can be found in the guidelines. There you will find a list of all relevant modules and a sample curriculum for each course, which will give you a reasonable idea of how you can organise your studies. Read the relevant guidelines carefully.
The main topics of the study include machine learning, which is the dominant approach in the field. To effectively understand and apply machine learning, students need particular mathematical skills, including statistics, as well as mandatory programming skills in Python. The main challenge of the study lies in acquiring these mathematical and programming competencies. However, we teach all necessary concepts from the ground up, assuming only a high school level.
For your CL BA (120 ECTS) you need a 60 ECTS minor. For your CL MA (90 ECTS) a 30 ECTS minor.
Can I combine Computational Linguistics with any other program?
Yes, except a combination with an other programs offered by our department. You cannot combine the MA major "Computational Linguistics and Language Technology" with our 30 MA minor "Digital Linguistics".
Can a CL student attend any CL course at any time and get ECTS points that count towards the grade?
No, some modules have prerequisites that must be completed first. Additionally, the study regulations require a minimum number of ECTS points per module group. You cannot compensate for missing ECTS points in one module group with extra points from another group
What does it mean if a course is offered irregularly ("Date: irregular") or "by arrangement" in the electronic course catalogue?
Cancel Module Bookings or Assessments
Can I cancel the booking of a module? What happens if I forget to cancel?
Modules with or without place restrictions can be canceled within the deadlines set by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. More information is available here or in the course catalogue for the corresponding module. After the deadline, you can only cancel a module if you have a verifiable reason, such as illness, as outlined in § 24/25 RVO PhF. More information
For a valid deregistration after the deadline, you must carry out these two steps:
1. you must immediately inform the responsible persons (lecturer/module supervisor) of your deregistration.
2. you must also submit a deregistration request in the Student Portal via the app "My applications". This justified deregistration request contains the relevant confirmations such as a doctor's certificate and you must submit it no later than five working days after the date of the assessment.
Otherwise - and even in the case of a module booking made only in error - failure to provide assessment will be permanently noted in your credit journal as "not fulfilled".
How do I design a term paper?
The most important notes and rules are summarised here.
What are the prerequisites for applying to an MA program in Computational Linguistics?
If you have a BA in Computational Linguistics with at least 60 ECTS points, you can apply to our MA programs (Computational Linguistics & Language Technology, 30 and 90 ECTS) without any additional requirements.
If you do not have a BA in Computational Linguistics with at least 60 ECTS points, you may be required to complete up to 60 ECTS from our BA program. These requirements will be determined on a case-by-case basis during the application process. If you already took BA CL courses at UZH, the corresponding ECTS points can be used for fulfilling these requirements.
Is there a maximum number of ECTS that can be required as additional requirements?
Yes, the maximum is 60 ECTS combined for your major and minor programs. If the total additional requirements exceed 60 ECTS, your application will be rejected. To avoid this, select your MA study programs carefully to minimize additional requirements. If your major or minor is related to Informatics, we pool your requirements for CL and Informatics. E.g. if Informatics asks you to fullfil 45 ECTS additional requirements but CL originally asked for 60 ECTS requirements, you will only have 15 ECTS requirements from CL as long as you don't change your Informatics program. If you change your Informatics program to a something without requirements, the original CL requirements of 60 ECTS points might be requested from you.
When should I complete the BA requirements?
Ideally, the additional requirements from our BA program should be completed within the first year of your master's studies. However, you may enroll in MA courses from the start of your studies, provided you have the necessary background knowledge.
Be aware that some programs from the Faculty of Economics define specific deadlines for fulfilling their requirements; missing such deadlines can result in your permanent ban from the program!
Are the requirements module-specific?
Currently, the additional requirements are not tied to specific CL modules, allowing students to choose freely which courses to take in order to fulfill them. However, we strongly recommend that you first complete all mandatory CL courses, followed by the core CL modules. If you already have the competencies of a CL module, feel free to attend courses that teach you something new. Informatics modules that are cross-listed for our program in a given semester, cound as additional CL requirements.
What courses from a former study can be used to fulfill the BA requirements?
Upon MA application, the study advisor looks through all completed courses from your BA study program and decides which courses count towards the general requirements of 60 ECTS. ECTS of approved courses are substracted. In general, only courses from computer science, mathematics or computational linguistics are candidates, but not purely linguistics courses.
Can I change my study program and transfer my ECTS points?
Changing your study program can be done at any point in time by submitting a request in the Student Service Portal. Please read the help pages for the Student Portal. ECTS points from completed courses of the old study program can only be transfered to a new study program if they have been crosslisted. Check the UZH Course Catalogue, under the tab "Component" of each module you find a list of all study programs that a course can be booked for.
I am for the time being registered for another study program. Can I still book modules in Computational Linguistics/Language Technology? Will my points be retained?
As soon as someone is enrolled in a study program, he or she can book modules without being enrolled in the corresponding minor subject. In the module booking tool, you simply have to select "all ECTS degree programmes and minor subjects" (or similar) before you can start the search. If you change your minor subject, your ECTS credits will be retained.
Which completed courses from the Monomaster Linguistics can be transfered to a CL MA?
All courses that are listed in the Course Catalogue as part of the MA "Computational Linguistics and Language Technology" are transfered.
BA courses listed as components of the "BA Computational Linguistics and Language Technology" program count for the additional requirements (up to 60 ECTs from our BA). These CL BA courses might be MA courses of the Monomaster, but will be used as BA courses in case of a program change.
Courses that are MA courses of the Monomaster Linguistics but neither BA nor MA courses of cannot be transfered (e.g. Quantitative Methods). Note that some of these courses are similar in content to CL BA courses. Given this, a further reduction of BA ECTS requirements is possible. However, we cannot tell in advance what the reduction will be.
Can I complete the minor program before completing the major?
You can fulfil the requirements of your programs in any order. But certain modules require the completion of other modules. Not following the recommended curriculum for your study programs typically extends the length of your studies.
Can I cancel a course module after the official deadline has passed?
Cancellation is only possible in cases of significant issues, such as a prolonged illness, and requires formal documentation. Students have to request a cancellation via the self service desk.
What can be done if courses of major and minor subjects overlap?
First determine which are the compulsory courses in the subjects concerned, these have priority when booking. Then identify which of the courses in the subjects concerned must be completed in a certain order. The more other courses depend on a given course, the more priority must be given to this course.
Also consider the scores of the subjects concerned. Since it is usually possible, for example, to place the 30 points of a minor subject in one to two years, the subject with the higher number of points always has priority when taking the course in case of doubt.
Module X is a compulsory module in my subject Y. But X is also a compulsory module in "Computational Linguistics and Language Technology". Can I have module X credited twice?
ECTS points can only be credited once. If Module X is a compulsory module in both programs, you will need to substitute it in the program with the fewer credit points by taking another module that you haven't yet completed within that program. This is particularly relevant if you are also taking modules as part of a minor in Informatics. To ensure you meet all requirements, consult the student advisors for both programs.
Is it still possible to study computational linguistics at UZH despite being excluded from studying computer science at the University of Zurich?
Yes. The informatics modules are part of your CL study program.
Can ETH courses be credited for my UZH study in Computational Linguistics and Language Technology?
Yes, given the courses are NLP courses. You have to fill in a form (download here (XLSX, 880 KB) (MAC) and here (XLSX, 879 KB) (PC)) and send it to the study advisor. If the stuy advisor approves it, you can take the courses and - upon completion - send an email to study@cl.uzh.ch together with formal proof of success.
How many ETH courses can I take?
For BA or MA major studies at most 18 ECTS points. For a BA minor at most 12 ECTS points, for a MA minor at most 6 ECTS points.
What are the career opportunities?
Career opportunities in this field are generally strong, especially in the age of tools like ChatGPT, a product of computational linguistics. New roles, such as prompt engineer, have already emerged as a result of these advancements.
Major companies like Amazon, Google, IBM, and Microsoft frequently hire computational linguists, as do companies outside the traditional tech sector, such as Zalando and Bosch. Additionally, machine translation requires specialized expertise that computational linguists possess, making them valuable in this area.
Organizations that handle text often require automatic analysis, which falls within our domain, and many startups are also seeking computational linguists. Furthermore, computational linguists are well-equipped to apply for IT and computer science positions, particularly those involving text mining or related areas, due to their programming skills.
Am I entitled to do an external internship?
Internships are intended for advanced students at the BA or MA level.
How can I find a company for an external internship?
The department does not keep a list of companies. You are required to find a company for an intership yourself.
Can I book the external internship module myself?
No. Please contact the module coordinator before you start an external internship. The module coordinator has to approve the internship.
What are the requirements of the module external internship?
Please consult the Course Catalogue for more information.
What are internal internships?
They can be teaching assistant activities or student work in a research project of a research group of our department. Please consult the Course Catalogue for more information.
Am I entitled to do an internal internship?
Internships are intended for advanced students at the BA or MA level.
How can I find a supervisor for an internal internship?
To find a supervisor for an internal internship, first familiarize yourself with the research activities of our research groups. Then, approach a member of a relevant group to inquire whether they have any available opportunities or if they are willing to create one based on your interests or capabilities.
Can I book the internal internship module myself?No. Please consult the Course Catalogue for more information.
Can I study abroad and get credits for courses completed abroad?
Yes. Procedure:
Is it possible to do a doctorate/PhD in CL in Zurich?
In principle, if certain prerequisites are met. Further information can be found here.
Is it possible to habilitate in CL in Zurich?
Absolutely. But please note the following conditions:
