Program Overview

Introduction to Natural Language Processing

The University of Limerick offers a 6-week micro-credential course in Natural Language Processing (NLP), providing a practical introduction to the fundamentals of NLP. This course is ideal for those working in or transitioning into AI, machine learning, data science, or computer linguistics.

Course Details

• Course Code: MN5001
• Available: Part-Time
• Intake: Autumn/Fall
• Course Start Date: September 2026
• Duration: 6 Weeks
• Award: University Certificate of Study
• Faculty: Science and Engineering
• Course Type: Professional/Flexible, Online

Fees

• EU: €1,250
• Non-EU: €1,250 Further information on fees and payment of fees is available from the Student Fees Office.

Programme Content

During this module, students will:

• Learn how to process and analyse text data using key NLP methods such as tokenisation, stemming, lemmatisation, and sentence segmentation.
• Build foundational knowledge of string similarity, n-gram language models, and spelling correction using tools like regular expressions and statistical modelling.
• Apply core NLP techniques to classify text and analyse sentiment, using tools like Naïve Bayes classifiers and sentiment lexicons.
• Explore NLP libraries and cloud platforms including NLTK, spaCy, TextBlob to understand real-world applications.

Module Prerequisite

We use the Python programming language in this course. Students do not need to be professional Python programmers, but they do need to be familiar with general programming concepts and their implementation in Python, including:

• Data types, variables, numbers, strings
• Numerical Operators, Booleans
• Data structures, lists, tuples, sets, dictionaries, arrays
• If…else statements
• While loops, For loops
• Functions
• Classes and objects

Entry Requirements

To be successful on this course, applicants should:

• Hold a bachelor's degree (NFQ Level 8) with at least a second class honours, grade 2 (2:2) in a cognitive discipline.
• If applicants have a lower result or an unrelated qualification, they may be considered on a case-by-case basis if they can provide evidence of one or more years of post-degree industrial experience in Computer Science/IT/Computer Engineering or related disciplines.

Graduate Profile

This micro-credential can lead to careers in:

• Data science and artificial intelligence roles, including NLP and machine learning engineering
• Technology and software development roles focused on language-based applications
• Research and academic roles in linguistics, cognitive science or computational linguistics
• Marketing analytics, customer experience, or content moderation roles that benefit from language analysis tools