Linguistics

How is language stored in the brain? What effects can brain damage have on our ability to use language? And why do some children have difficulty learning language? Find it out in this track.

The two-year international Research Master's track in Clinical Linguistics is part of the prestigious international Erasmus Mundus programme in Clinical Linguistics, EMCL-25. EMCL-25 is an integrated two-year Master's programme offered jointly by a consortium of the Universities of Groningen (NL), Ghent (B) and Eastern Finland (FI) and 26 associated partners from the academic, R&D, and clinical sector, finishing with a joint Msc degree from the three institutions. It is a full-time interdisciplinary and transnational university programme at the Masters level, providing integrated training in neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and clinical linguistics.The regular study period is 24 months. It consists of 4 semesters; 2 teaching semesters, the third semester is a combination of a teaching semester and internship, the fourth semester to finish the masters thesis. After finishing this track you will receive a joint degree.Most recent information on the EMCL-25 programme can be found at: emcl.eu

How do you build Large Language Models? How do humans experience Natural Language Processing (NLP) applications in their daily lives? And how can we design language technologies that are transparent, trustworthy, and capable of capturing nuance—whether it is subjective framing, subtle translation errors, or emerging forms of misinformation?.Natural Language Processing is at the core of today's digital world. Machine Translation supports multilingual communication, conversational agents and advanced search systems help us navigate information, and generative AI assists with tasks ranging from creative writing to data analysis. Research in NLP is essential for making these technologies more accurate, responsible, and aligned with human needs.

Our two-year Research Master in Natural Language Processing offers rigorous, interdisciplinary training that integrates Linguistics and Computer Science. You will gain strong technical skills in machine learning, language modelling, text processing, and computational semantics, together with a deep understanding of human language, linguistic theory, and experimental research methods. The programme prepares you to contribute to cutting-edge research in academia or industry, and to critically evaluate the social and ethical impact of NLP technologies.

It is also possible to combine the study of the regular programme with the Information Science master.

How is language stored in the brain? How do we acquire a foreign language? How can we explain patterns of language use in terms of underlying structures, and also the role of language in society?

The Language and Cognition programme offers training in linguistics which reflects the areas of expertise among linguists at the University of Groningen. In addition to required courses, which cover core areas of the discipline, students may choose from courses in neuro- and psycholinguistics, theoretical linguistics, developmental linguistics, computational linguistics, discourse analysis, sociolinguistics and communication studies. These are the focus areas of excellent, multidisciplinary research carried out in the Centre for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG) and the Groningen Research School for Behavioural and Cognitive Neuroscience (BCN).The programme is meant for talented students from all over the world who aspire to do research in the field of Linguistics. After finishing the degree, you will have acquired essential research skills and fundamental knowledge of linguistic analysis, language development, and language processing. This programme is a selective admission two-year Research Master's programme that prepares you for entry into a related PhD programme, or other research positions.Are you curious if you are eligible for the Research Master's programme? Check the entry requirements. While admission for the second semester is possible, we advise most students to begin in the fall so that they can follow the course sequence with their cohort.