Creating a Computational Linguistics College Degree?

$random_var asks: "I am an undergraduate student currently studying Bioengineering. However, I am growing more and more interested in programming and linguistics, which leads me to think that I should define my own major, Computational Linguistics [mit.edu], which google defines as 'a field concerned with the processing of natural language by computers.' When I present my proposal for this degree to the school's advising staff, I would like to have a complete list of all of the topics this major should cover. Having only little experience with computer science and engineering, I'm not sure what parts of that field I should include. Beyond the basic lower-division courses, what specific fields of computer science do you think should be emphasized in a practical undergraduate study of Computational Linguistics?"

Comments

Don't do it

[AuMatar]

Not as an undergrad. You're still learning, still ought to be figurin g out what you want to do. Get a good, well rounded CS education. Maybe take a few courses in linguistics if the subject interests you. Then specialize in computational linguistics in grad school if you decide its really what you want to do.

Basicly, undergrad is to learn the field. A masters is to specialize in one domain. A doctorate is to research a single problem in as much depth as possible. They're in that order for good reason- it leaves you plenty of room to change your mind and interest as you grow older, while keeping you marketable in both industry and academia. Don't specialize too early, or you may regret it later.