Pennsylvania State University, University Park

How this program compares

Budget-wise, $12.9K puts this certificate program at the 70th percentile on cost — about 18% above the $11.0K average across 180 comparable listings. It is one of the 54% of programs in our database offered fully or partly online.

Admission Snapshot

Typical admitted student: Applicants typically need a bachelor's degree in computer science, linguistics, mathematics, or a related field, with strong foundational knowledge in programming and statistics. Graduate-level coursework or professional experience in computational linguistics, machine learning, or related areas is often preferred.

About This Program

Offered at University Park, this certificate provides graduate-level training in the subfield of AI concerned with the interaction between computers and human language. Coursework concentrates on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Deep Learning. Most students complete it in about 1 year.

Estimated total tuition is $12.9K, above the $11.0K average for AI certificate programs in our database and in the 70th percentile on cost at this level. Applicants should weigh that premium against the program's outcomes and brand.

It is one of 60 AI-related programs we track in Pennsylvania, of which about 43% offer an online option. On price, it comes in cheaper than about 90% of the Pennsylvania programs in our data, where typical tuition runs near $81.1K.

Graduates frequently move into roles such as NLP Engineer, with reported salaries around $115,000.

Design and implement NLP systems for text classification, sentiment analysis, and named entity recognition.

Career Outcomes

Pennsylvania State University, University Park positions this certificate track for NLP Engineer careers — typical offers cluster around $115,000. Its focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Deep Learning maps directly to how employers screen for specialized skills rather than generic degrees. Federal projections for this occupational area point to roughly 36% growth this decade — verify the current figure on the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook before you rely on it.

• 1. NLP Engineer
• 2. Machine Learning Specialist
• 3. Computational Linguist
• 4. AI Research Scientist

What You'll Learn

• Design and implement NLP systems for text classification, sentiment analysis, and named entity recognition
• Apply machine learning algorithms to language modeling, sequence labeling, and parsing tasks
• Construct and analyze linguistic corpora using computational tools and statistical methods
• Develop solutions for real-world NLP applications such as information retrieval and machine translation

Curriculum Highlights

The 9-credit curriculum consists of required coursework in deep learning, natural language processing, and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

Top Employers

Top employers in NLP include major technology companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and OpenAI, as well as specialized AI firms and research institutions.

Admissions

Admission to Pennsylvania State University, University Park's Graduate Certificate in Natural Language Processing generally expects a graduate certificate. The GRE is optional here — a growing norm among AI programs — so applicants can often lead with coursework, projects and recommendations instead. Deadlines, testing policies and funding change year to year, so confirm the current requirements on the official program page before applying.

Application Materials

• Statement of Purpose: Required
• Letters of Recommendation: 2–3
• Resume: Required
• Transcripts: Official transcripts required

Frequently Asked Questions