A huge amount of information is created through speech and language – from writing and conversation to videos. With artificial intelligence gaining more prominence, there is also a growing need for technology that helps AI-empowered solutions to communicate quickly and impeccably in various languages. By becoming a student in speech and language technology, you secure a place in a fast growing, future-proof field. Besides improving technological applications, you get to solve important societal challenges, such as working towards a more equal education system and helping the healthcare sector to benefit from these technologies.
Upon graduating from the Computer, Communication and Information Sciences - Speech and Language Technology, graduates will have:
A strong theoretical and methodological background of speech and language technology. Graduates possess a toolbox of knowledge on machine learning, mathematical and statistical language modeling, as well as speech analysis, synthesis, recognition, and coding.
Advanced programming skills. Graduates master various programming languages and tools, and have the ability to design, implement, test and maintain practical machine learning and speech and language processing systems.
Extensive data analysis skills. Graduates have an in-depth understanding of the nature and diversity of data and how it can be translated into information by machine learning.
Mathematical and statistical modelling skills. Graduates master the use of mathematical models and the underlying statistical assumptions, allowing them to make accurate predictions from real world data.
Extensive knowledge about the state of the art research in the field. Graduates benefit from the top-notch research led by professors and researchers and have the basis needed to embark on a career in research, should they wish to do so.
In the Master’s Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences – Speech and Language Technology, the language of instruction is English.
Aalto University’s tuition fee for master’s programmes taught in English is 15 000 euros per academic year. Tuition fees apply to citizens of countries other than those of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
Aalto University has a scholarship programme to support non-EU/EEA citizens who study in a fee-charging degree programme. The scholarship may cover 100% or 50% of the tuition fee.
More information on tuition fees and scholarships at Aalto University is available at the Scholarships and Tuition Fees webpage.
The major can be completed either as a long (60 ECTS) or compact (40 ECTS) major. Students taking a compact major also take a master level minor (20-25 ECTS). Students taking a long major may include an optional minor in their elective studies.
The first year lays the foundation for speech and language processing and machine learning. As the studies proceed, students deepen their understanding on various topics and can create their own unique study tracks according to their interests.
Speech and Language Technology is part of the Master's Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences. Students may direct their studies to various specialisation areas through master level minor or elective courses.
Studying in the major has a strong emphasis on practical project work. The aim is to improve industry readiness as well as readiness for scientific work by preparing students to solve real-world problems and providing them with the experience of working in teams through many group exercises. Students also benefit from a flexible learning environment, allowing them to personalise their studies according to their unique interests. More information on the programme content and curriculum can be found in the Student guide.
During her bachelor's studies, Niina selected information technology as her major. She is encouraging people to be open-minded about combining technology and the humanities.
The study environment in the programme is strongly international – studies are conducted in multicultural groups and students are well equipped to embark on an international career. The School of Electrical Engineering offers many possibilities for student exchange and internships all over the world. Students may find themselves taking part in a research project dealing with global phenomena or taking a summer course at one of Aalto's partner institutions, such as EURECOM in Sophia Antipolis, France.
Aalto University is international by nature, welcoming thousands of degree and exchange students from abroad every year. These students join the diverse Aalto community not only through their studies, but also through multiple free time events, celebrations and extracurricular activities around the campus. Active tutoring programs and support services work hard to help international students integrate to the Nordic culture and feel at home in Finland.
The programme qualifies for doctoral studies (Doctor of Science in an applicable field).
A degree in speech and language technology provides the foundation for a wide range of jobs and careers. Common career paths include going into research and development in industry or academia. Some graduates go and start their own businesses – examples of recent startups founded by the graduates are Hokema, Ääni Company and Speechly.
Aalto University has well-established career services to support students’ employment in Finland and abroad. Thanks to the flexible curriculum, many Aalto students already work during their studies and guarantee themselves entry positions before graduation. There is also a very active entrepreneurship community at Aalto, working as a springboard for founding a company.
According to Tiina Lindh-Knuutila, language technology and machine learning offer enormous opportunities for many kinds of people.
Research projects are thoroughly integrated into the studies to foster students’ ability to conduct scientific work. One of the recent projects in the speech recognition research group led to an award-winning campaign, Lahjoita puhetta. The campaign collected samples of spontaneous Finnish spoken by as many speakers of Finnish as possible in order to enhance the Finnish-language speech recognition.
To find out more about the latest research conducted in the Department of Information and Communications Engineering, visit their website.
'Thanks to the successful campaign, Finland has the possibility to be a pioneer in speech recognition for small languages,' says Professor Mikko Kurimo
The department of Information and Communications Engineering has a strong focus in the ICT area varying from ICT technology to core electrical engineering and its basic phenomena.
Besides the wide selection of courses available at Aalto University, students have the opportunity to include courses in their curriculum from other universities – even internationally. The major also regularly welcomes visiting students from other universities. The CCIS (Computer, Communication and Information Sciences) programme is in itself multidisciplinary, encouraging collaboration across disciplines.
Aalto University is well-known for bridging disciplines of business, arts, technology and science. The lively campus and freedom of choosing elective courses across the university bring students from different fields under one roof. This spontaneous multidisciplinary environment sparks new ideas, gathers enthusiasts around them and gives birth to friendships, networks, and every so often, startups.
In this webinar, the programme representatives introduce Aalto University, give a programme overview, explain the programme structure and content, discuss career opportunities, and answer questions from the audience.
Applicants to the programme must meet the general eligibility and language requirements that are common to all Master's programmes in Aalto University. Applicants meeting Aalto’s general eligibility criteria for master's studies are evaluated and ranked according to the evaluation criteria decided in advance for each study option.
The applications to major Speech and Language Technology, Master’s Programme in Computer, Communication and Information Sciences (CCIS) are evaluated based on the following criteria:
| What is evaluated? | Grades of the previous degree(s) and pace of studies |
| What we look for in an applicant |
The CCIS programme is looking for applicants with excellent academic performance in their previous studies. In study options where the number and quality of applications is high, this means that the applicant has achieved consistently excellent grades throughout the degree studies (very high weighted average grade or GPA). The applicant’s study success will be evaluated based on the grade point average (GPA) and grades in key courses. The time spent on the previous studies will also be taken into account. All the applicant’s previous university studies, including incomplete degrees and non‐degree studies, will be taken into consideration when evaluating academic performance. Applicants from Finnish universities of applied sciences (AMK) |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s) |
| What is evaluated? | Contents and scope of previous studies |
| What we look for in an applicant |
Applicants are expected to have a high-quality Bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, communications engineering, or electrical engineering. Excellent candidates with degrees in other fields including but not limited to information systems, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics, or physics will be considered if they have sufficient studies in the required areas. The required university-level studies, as well as subjects that are considered an advantage, are defined below for major Speech and Language Technology: Required university-level studies:
Studies in at least some of the following subjects are considered an advantage:
The contents of the applicant’s previous degree(s) are evaluated based on the courses on the official transcript of records. Relevant work experience, professional certificates and online courses can also be taken into account in the evaluation, but they do not in general compensate for the absence of university-level studies covering the theoretical foundations of the knowledge areas. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, course descriptions |
| What is evaluated? | Recognition and quality of the applicant's previous institution |
| What we look for in an applicant | We expect applicants to have completed their previous degree in a high-quality university and programme. The recognition of the applicant’s home university affects also the interpretation of the grades when evaluating the academic performance. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | International and national rankings of higher education institutions |
| What is evaluated? | Applicant’s suitability to the study option, motivation, commitment to the studies, and written communication skills |
| What we look for in an applicant |
The applicant should be motivated to study the chosen subject and committed to full‐time studies with a plan to complete the Master’s degree in two years. We are looking for applicants who are able to express clearly the reasons for applying to the study option and describe why they would be excellent candidates for it. Studies in the Master’s programme should provide genuinely new knowledge for the applicant. If the applicant already has a Master’s or a higher degree or is studying towards one, the motivation letter should clearly indicate why another one is necessary. In most cases, non-degree studies are recommended instead. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Application as a whole including motivation letter |
| What is evaluated? | Work experience, other qualifications and achievements |
| What we look for in an applicant |
Beyond their academic record, applicants may have other experience, knowledge and qualifications that prepare them for the Master’s studies and distinguish them among their peers. We particularly value demanding work experience in the area of the planned studies, participation in scientific research leading to publications, entrepreneurship, and special achievements such as success in competitions (e.g. Junction Hackathon). |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Curriculum vitae, recommendation letters, proofs of employment, publications, other certificates, GRE or GMAT results (if available). |
The evaluation process is described under Applicant evaluation process. In addition to obligatory application documents, this study option asks the applicants to submit also the documents listed under Requested documents.
During the evaluation of eligible applicants, applications are first evaluated based on the following criteria:
Only the applications who fulfil the requirements for these criteria will be evaluated against the full set of evaluation criteria. It is not possible to compensate for these criteria with other criteria.
After the evaluation of the remaining criteria below, the best applicants will be selected based on the joint evaluation of all criteria.
The admission process is very competitive and only the best applicants are selected yearly. Not all applicants fulfilling the requirements can be admitted.
The documents requested from all applicants are listed here (https://www.aalto.fi/en/study-at-aalto/applying-to-masters-programmes). In addition, applicants to this study-option are requested to provide the following study-option-specific documents:
*) The lack of this document will cause rejection.
In addition, these additional documents add value to your application:
All additional application documents described above should preferably be submitted in English. If some other language than English, Finnish or Swedish is used in them, the applicant must provide precise, word-for-word translations of them.
Upload the documents to your online application form in pdf-format. Name the file(s) according to format: Name of the document-Lastname-Firstname (e.g. CV-Lastname-Firstname.pdf). Maximum file size is 1.0 GB.
The study-option-specific documents must be uploaded for each study option separately, even if you use the same document (e.g. CV). Please check carefully the study-option-specific document requirements for each study option you apply to.
The deadline for the study-option-specific application documents to be uploaded to your application form is the same as for the general application documents.
School of Electrical Engineering
For enquiries regarding the application process, general application documents and language tests, please contact [email protected]. For enquiries regarding the content of programme, the studies at the School of Electrical Engineering and the study option specific application documents please contact [email protected].