Program Overview

Introduction to the Master's Program in Speech Technology

The Master's program in Speech Technology at the University of Groningen is a unique opportunity for students to gain expertise in cutting-edge practices in voice synthesis and speech recognition. This program is one of the few in Europe that focuses on speech technology, making it an attractive option for those interested in this field.

Why Choose This Master's Program?

The program offers several reasons why it stands out:

• Connect with guest speakers from speech tech start-ups, multinationals, and research labs around the globe.
• Create your own speech tech demo as your final project.
• Turn your passion for tech into a meaningful contribution to society.

Pre-Master's Program

For students who did not study at a University of Applied Sciences (HBO) or lack specific requirements, a 3-month Pre-Master's program is available to prepare them for the Master's program.

Upcoming Events

• Master's Week: 25 November 2025, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Join online and meet the program director, current students, and alumni of the program.

Campus Fryslân

Campus Fryslân is the 11th faculty of the University of Groningen, located in Leeuwarden, Friesland. It offers a complete overview of the faculty's educational programs.

Facts and Figures

• Degree: MSc in Speech Technology
• Course type: Master
• Duration: 12 months (60 EC)
• Croho code: 60472
• Language of instruction: English
• Start: September
• Faculty: Campus Fryslân

Why Study This Program in Leeuwarden?

Leeuwarden is a vibrant, medium-sized student city and the capital of Fryslân, a region known for its innovation and multilingual character. The city is home to start-ups, established tech companies, game developers, research institutes, and language-focused NGOs. Speech technology is recognized by the province as a key area of regional importance.

Program Highlights

• The only graduate program in the Netherlands dedicated to both speech synthesis and speech recognition.
• Interdisciplinary and collaborative, bringing together students from diverse backgrounds to work with academic and industry partners.
• Hands-on learning: build speech recognizers, create synthetic voices, and conduct empirical experiments.
• Showcase your expertise by developing a working demo as your thesis project.
• Located in a multilingual environment, offering a real-world testbed for speech tech, particularly in multilingualism, code-switching, and less-resourced languages.

Program Structure

The curriculum is organized into four aligned blocks, each building on the previous one.

1. Laying the Foundations: Introduction to the field of speech technology and building your first application.
2. Building Core Skills: Dives into the fundamentals of voice tech, applying programming and linguistic knowledge in Speech Recognition and Speech Synthesis courses.
3. Advancing Your Expertise: Learn about state-of-the-art systems, real-world challenges, and emerging trends through guest lectures from industry partners.
4. Thesis and Demonstrator: Complete your MSc journey by conducting a research project and refining your prototype into a polished demonstrator.

Courses

Study Abroad

Study abroad is unaccommodated.

Entry Requirements

• Dutch diploma
• International diploma

Admission Requirements

• Previous education: Students with a Bachelor's degree in Linguistics, Artificial Intelligence, or Computer/Computing Science will have direct access to the program. Applicants with other degrees may qualify for admission through an eligibility assessment, which may require completion of a pre-master's program.
• Language test: Sufficient English language proficiency is required, except for native speakers of the English language from specific countries.

Language Requirements

• Exam: Minimum score required for various English proficiency exams (e.g., IELTS, TOEFL).

Registration Procedure

The MSc Speech Technology allows direct entry for anyone with a bachelor's degree from a recognized university and a sincere interest in the topic.

Application Deadlines

• Type of student: Deadline and start course dates vary based on the country where the diploma was obtained.

Tuition Fees

• Nationality: Year, fee, and program form (full-time) vary based on EU/EEA or non-EU/EEA status.

After Your Studies

The MSc in Speech Technology prepares you for a meaningful career in the industry of speech technology. The combination of programming and machine learning skills with linguistics knowledge is very attractive to the labor market.

Job Prospects

Throughout the program, guest speakers from industry provide insights into various possibilities, including developing speech recognizers, synthetic voices, automatic detection of pathologies from speech, and more.

Job Examples

• Speech Scientist
• Voice Forensic Specialist
• Speech Analyst
• Research Engineer
• Entrepreneur
• PhD Researcher

Research

The MSc Speech Technology is housed within the “Language, Technology and Culture” research department, tackling cutting-edge topics like voice-based disease recognition, multilingualism, and the brain.

Student Profile

The Speech Technology MSc attracts students interested in A.I., computer science, human/machine interaction, linguistics, and/or digital humanities. Students are curiosity-driven, collaborative, creative people passionate about science & tech.