Speech and Language Processing MSc

Level: Postgraduate taught

Subject: Linguistics

Year of entry: 2026

Study options

Mode of study

On campus

Full-time
  • MSc | 1 year | Start date: September 2026
Part-time
  • MSc | 2 years | Start date: September 2026

Key facts

School

School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences

College

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Study location

Central Area

Accreditation

Not available

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About the degree programme

This intensive programme covers all areas of speech and language processing, from phonetics, speech synthesis and speech recognition to natural language generation, machine translation and generative AI. You will have an exciting opportunity to learn from world leaders in both informatics and linguistics.

The programme provides research and vocational training and can be either freestanding or used as preparation for a PhD. The modular nature allows you to tailor it to your own interests.

Key research areas

This programme combines elements of:

  • linguistics
  • artificial intelligence
  • computer science
  • engineering

It is taught by leading researchers from Linguistics and English Language, the Centre for Speech Technology Research, and the School of Informatics.

What will I learn?

You will develop up-to-date knowledge of a broad range of areas in speech and language processing and gain the technical expertise and hands-on skills required to carry out research and development in this challenging interdisciplinary area.

This programme covers all areas of speech and language processing, from the foundations of phonetics, speech technology and natural language understanding, to the latest methods using large generative speech and language models.

The flexible nature of the programme allows you to take courses ranging across other areas of linguistics, informatics, and cognitive science.

Is this MSc for me?

This programme is best suited to applicants whose academic background is in:

  • linguistics
  • computer science
  • engineering
  • cognitive science

Applicants from adjacent subject areas, including mathematics, philosophy and psychology, and applicants with relevant professional experience will also be considered.

The programme provides specialist knowledge and is an excellent preparation for subsequent research, whether you choose to pursue this in academia or in a professional career.

Reputation, relevance and employability

Edinburgh has a proud and distinguished history of teaching in speech and language processing, and you will be taught by world-leading experts. Our programme has an excellent reputation amongst employers.

You will benefit from the breadth and strength of the interdisciplinary academic community at Edinburgh, having the opportunity to select option courses and attend research seminars across different disciplines.

Our students’ dissertation projects are sometimes published in academic conferences or journals.

Many of our graduates have gone on to PhD training, either directly or after a period in industry.

Thinking about an MSc in language sciences? Hear from staff and students at the University of Edinburgh and find out more about our vibrant community.

Programme rankings

  • Ranked 3rd in the UK for Linguistics by Times Higher Education for the quality and breadth of the research using the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021).

Tuition fees

Tuition fees by award and duration

Tuition fees for full-time and part-time options are listed for one academic year.

Full-time
Part-time

Graduate discount

If you are a University of Edinburgh graduate, you will be eligible for a 10% discount on your tuition fees for this programme. You may also be eligible if you were a visiting undergraduate student.

Find out how to receive your graduate discount

Deposit

You do not have to pay a deposit to secure your place on this programme.

Costs

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that you might spend £1,167 to £2,330 per month if you are a single student.

Living costs include:

  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel, clothes, books and stationery
  • recreational costs (for example, TV subscriptions and social events)

Living costs

Accommodation costs depend on where you live while studying and the type of accommodation you choose.

University postgraduate accommodation options and costs

Funding opportunities

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

  • borrowing money
    • taking out a loan
    • family support
  • personal savings
  • income from work
  • employer sponsorship
  • scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

There are a number of highly competitive scholarships and funding options available to MSc students.

Deadlines for funding applications vary for each funding source - please make sure to check the specific deadlines for the funding opportunities you wish to apply for and make sure that you submit your application in good time.

Search for other funding opportunities

You can find scholarships, bursaries and other funding you might be eligible for on our Scholarships and Student Funding site.

Postgraduate funding opportunities

These entry requirements are for the 2026-27 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2027-28 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2026.

Qualifications

A UK 2:1 degree, or its international equivalent, in linguistics, computer science, engineering, psychology, philosophy, mathematics or a related subject. Your application should show evidence of a basic understanding of linguistics, mathematics and computer science and you must be willing to undertake further study to prepare you for the programme.

You can increase your chances of a successful application by exceeding the minimum programme requirements.

International qualifications

To find international equivalent qualifications, select where you studied from the country or region list.

English language requirements

You must prove that your English language abilities are at a high enough level to study this degree programme.

This is the case for all applicants, including UK nationals.

You can meet our English language requirements with one of the following:

  • an English language test
  • a degree that was taught and assessed in English
  • certain professional qualifications

English language tests we accept

We accept any of the following English language tests, at the specified grade or higher:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • Oxford ELLT: total 8 with at least 7 in each component.
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced: total 155 with at least 145 in each component.
How old your English language tests can be
Tests no more than two years old

The following English language tests must be no more than two years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality:

  • IELTS Academic
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition)
  • Trinity ISE
  • Oxford ELLT
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced
Tests no more than three and a half years old

All other English language tests must be no more than three and a half years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality.   

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English-speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration.

UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English-speaking countries (non-MESC).

Approved universities in non-MESC

How old your degree can be

If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts.

This time limit does not apply to your degree if you are a national of a majority English-speaking country.

Find out more about our English language requirements

Find out about other English language qualifications we accept, including professional qualifications.

English language requirements

What you will study

This programme contains two semesters of taught compulsory courses and option courses, followed by a dissertation project.

The taught courses and their assessments take place from September to December (Semester 1) and January to April (Semester 2). Dissertation topics are assigned at the start of Semester 2, and the project is carried out from June to August.

Dissertation

The dissertation involves a practical project under the guidance of an expert supervisor.

Past examples of dissertation topics include:

  • Multi-Task Learning Approaches to Accented Speech Recognition
  • Using i-vectors in Speaker Adaptive Speech Synthesis for Disordered Speech
  • Multimodal Emotion Recognition: an Assessment of Deep Learning Approaches
  • A Sequence-to-Sequence Neural Network for English Past-tense Inflection
  • Hate Speech Detection on Twitter
  • Controlling Prosody in Speech Synthesis Systems
  • Knowledge-lean Approaches to Metonymy

Compulsory courses

Most compulsory courses have both computational and mathematical content.

The compulsory courses are:

  • Computer Programming for Speech and Language Processing
  • Accelerated Natural Language Processing
  • Speech Processing
  • Quantitative Methods in Linguistics and English Language
  • Research Ethics Training in Linguistics and English Language

Option courses

The option courses offer you the opportunity to explore areas of your interest. A few courses need a stronger mathematical background. 

Examples of option courses are:

  • Advanced Topics in Natural Language Processing
  • Automatic Speech Recognition
  • Speech Synthesis
  • Machine Learning in Signal Processing
  • Simulating Language
  • Phonetics and Laboratory Phonology
  • Speech Production and Perception
  • Usable Security and Privacy

Find courses for this programme

Find out what courses you can study on this programme and how each of them are taught and assessed.

The courses on offer may change from year to year, but the course information will give you an idea of what to expect on this programme.

Full-time

We link to the latest information available. This may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

How will I learn?

Courses are typically delivered using combinations of live and pre-recorded lectures and seminars/tutorials. The number of contact hours and the teaching format will depend to some extent on the option courses chosen.

After classes finish in April, you will spend all your time working independently on coursework, exam revision and on your dissertation. When you carry out your supervised dissertation project, you will receive guidance from your supervisor through one-to-one meetings, comments on written work and email communication.

Learning outcomes

This programme aims to equip you with the technical knowledge and practical skills required to carry out research and development in the challenging interdisciplinary arena of speech and language technology.

You will learn about state-of-the-art techniques in:

  • speech synthesis
  • automatic speech recognition
  • natural language processing
  • natural language generation
  • machine translation

You will learn the theory behind such technologies and gain practical experience of working with and developing real systems based on these technologies.

Support for your studies

You will have access to a range of support services if you need them throughout your degree.

We will assign you to a student adviser, and this should be the first person to contact if you need help. They can guide you to other University service teams depending on what support you need.  

How we support you

Career opportunities

This programme is ideal preparation for a PhD or for working in industry. It teaches a broad range of transferable skills applicable to further academic research and training, and a wide range of modern jobs.

Our graduates

The analytical skills you develop and the research training you receive will be valuable in a wide range of careers. Some recent examples of companies our graduates have gone on to work for include:

  • Amazon
  • Apple
  • British Telecom
  • Cisco
  • EF Education First
  • Ericsson
  • Google
  • Gracenote
  • IBM
  • Jibo
  • Microsoft
  • Neuphonic
  • Nuance
  • Sensory Inc.
  • Speechmatics
  • Spotify
  • Symantec
  • Trafsys

Several have started up companies, some directly after the MSc, including:

  • LEXILAB
  • Nested
  • Openhearted
  • Alivox

Many graduates go on to study for a PhD. Some examples of where they have gone on to study are:

  • KTH
  • MIT
  • NTNU
  • Northwestern University
  • Technische Universität München
  • University of Cambridge
  • University of Edinburgh
  • University of Padua

Former students have research or faculty positions at universities, including:

  • KU Leuven
  • Macquarie University
  • Pennsylvania State University
  • RIKEN Brain Science Institute
  • Stanford University
  • University of British Columbia
  • University of Edinburgh
  • University of Manchester
  • University of Wellington, New Zealand
  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Further study

After completing this programme, you may wish to consider applying for a PhD or other research programme.

Applying for research degrees

Moving on to a PhD (advice from the University's Careers Service)

Graduate profiles

Careers Service

Our award-winning Careers Service plays an essential part in your wider student experience at the University, providing:

  • tailored advice
  • individual guidance and personal assistance
  • access to the experience of our worldwide alumni network

We invest in your future beyond the end of your degree. Studying at the University of Edinburgh will lay the foundations for your future success, whatever shape that takes.

Careers Service

How to apply

You should avoid applying to more than one degree. Applicants who can demonstrate their understanding and commitment to a specific programme are preferred.

Your application and personal statement allow us to make sure that you and your chosen MSc are good matches for each other, and that you will have a productive and successful year at Edinburgh.

Preparing a strong application

One factor used in the admissions process is your level of preparation for the programme. Whilst we do not expect an advanced level of preparation at the time of application, the majority of successful applicants do demonstrate that they have actively started to prepare. The Programme Director provides some suggestions of things you can do before applying and after receiving an offer. 

You can describe your level of preparation in your personal statement.

Prepare for study in speech and language processing

When to apply

There are typically around 35 places available on the programme each year. We anticipate awarding most places in the first three batches.

We strongly recommend you apply as early as possible. You should generally avoid applying to more than one degree with the same School. Applicants who can demonstrate their understanding of, and commitment to, a specific programme are preferred.

We operate a gathered field approach to applications for MSc Speech and Language Processing. You may submit your application at any time.

All complete applications that satisfy our minimum entry requirements will be placed on a shortlist and held until the next batch processing deadline. Applications will then be ranked and offers made to the top candidates.

Exceptionally well-qualified applicants may occasionally be made an immediate offer, without entering the shortlisting process.

Supporting documents and references

Applications must be complete with all supporting documentation to be passed on for consideration. 

This includes references. Please ensure that you inform referees of any deadline you wish to meet.

Round Apply by Receive decision by 
Round 127/11/202505/02/2026
Round 229/01/202626/03/2026
Round 302/04/202628/05/2026
Round 4 30/04/202625/06/2026

Application fee

There is no fee to apply to this programme.

What you need to apply

As part of your online application, you will need to provide: 

You will also need to submit some or all of the following supporting documents:

When you start your application, you will be able to see the full list of documents you need to provide.

References

You must submit one reference with your application.

You will be asked to add contact details for your referees. We will email them with information on how to upload their reference directly to your online application. Alternatively, they can email their comments to the PPLS Postgraduate Office:

pplspgoffice@ed.ac.uk

Personal statements

When applying you should include a personal statement detailing your academic abilities and your reasons for applying for the programme.

The personal statement helps us decide whether you are right for the MSc programme you have selected, but just as importantly, it helps us decide whether the MSc programme is right for you.

A good personal statement can make a big difference to the admissions process as it may be the only opportunity to explain why you are an ideal candidate for the programme.

Your personal statement should answer:

  • What makes this particular MSc programme interesting for you?
  • What are the most important things you want to gain from the MSc programme?
  • What are the key courses you have taken and that are relevant for this specific programme and what are your academic abilities?

You should include any other information which you feel will help us ensure that you are a good match for your intended MSc programme.

Apply

Select the award, duration and delivery mode you want to study. Then select the start date you want to apply for.

After you apply

Once you have applied for this programme, you will be able to track the progress of your application and accept or decline any offers.

Checking the status of your application

We will notify you by email once we have made a decision. Due to the large number of applications we receive, it might take a while until you hear from us.

Receiving our decision

What to do if you receive an offer:

Our community

The School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences is home to a large, supportive and active student community, hosting events and activities throughout the year which you can join. As a postgraduate student, you will have access to a range of research resources, state-of-the-art facilities, research seminars and reading groups.

Find out more about our community

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single postgraduate taught students from outside the UK and new, single postgraduate research (typically PhD) students who:

  • apply for accommodation by 31 July in the year when you start your programme
  • accept an unconditional firm offer to study at the University by 31 July
  • study at the University for the whole of the academic year starting in September

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

We also offer accommodation options for couples and families.

Accommodation for couples and families

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

Societies and clubs

Our societies and sports clubs will help you develop your interests, meet like-minded people, find a new hobby or simply socialise.

Societies

Sport Clubs

The city of Edinburgh

Scotland's inspiring capital will form the background to your studies — a city with an irresistible blend of history, natural beauty and modern city life. 

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include: 

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustments

Health and wellbeing support services 

Disability and Learning Support

General enquiries

PPLS Postgraduate Office

Dugald Stewart Building
3 Charles Street
Central Campus
Edinburgh
EH8 9AD

pplspgoffice@ed.ac.uk
Phone:+44 (0)131 651 5002

Academic contact

Professor Simon King

Programme Director

  • School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences

Contact details

Address

PPLS Postgraduate Office
Dugald Stewart Building
3 Charles Street
Central Campus
Edinburgh
EH8 9AD

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