Description

The Bachelor of Science degree in American Sign Language/English Interpreting prepares students to work with deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in both educational and community settings, including schools and universities, businesses, medical and mental health agencies and social service offices, among others.

The coursework and nationally certified instructors guide students in developing interpreting expertise, sign language fluency and professional ethics. Coursework encompasses interpreting process models and their application; analytical approaches to professional and ethical decision-making; and interpreting comparative analyses of English and American Sign Language through the study of linguistics, discourse structures and features, pragmatics and sociolinguistics. Students learn self-assessment strategies for lifelong learning and gain 500 hours of practicum and experience with interpreter mentors.

Graduates may apply for licensure from the State of Ohio to interpret from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. They also have preparation toward the National Interpreter Certification (NIC) and the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA).

Fully Offered At:

• Kent Campus

Admission Requirements

Admission to this major is selective. Freshmen students must have a minimum 2.75 high school GPA— for direct admission into the major. Transfer students must have a minimum 2.75 overall GPA for admission.

Students who do not meet the GPA requirement at the time of admission for this major will be admitted to the EHHS General non-degree program until which time they have established a Kent State GPA of 2.750. They may then submit a change of program to declare this major.

Current Kent State and Transfer Students: Active Kent State students who wish to change their major must have attempted a minimum 12 credit hours at Kent State and meet all admission criteria listed above to be admitted. Students who have not attempted 12 credit hours at Kent State will be evaluated for admission based on their high school GPA for new students or transfer GPA for transfer students. Transfer students who have not attempted 12 credit hours of college-level coursework at Kent State and/or other institutions will be evaluated based on both their high school GPA and college GPA.

English Language Proficiency Requirements for International Students: All international students must provide proof of English language proficiency (unless they meet specific exceptions) by earning a minimum 525 TOEFL score (71 on the Internet-based version), minimum 75 MELAB score, minimum 6.0 IELTS score, minimum 48 PTE score or minimum 100 DET score; or by completing the ESL level 112 Intensive Program. For more information on international admission, visit the Office of Global Education’s admission website.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the program will be able to do the following: 

1. Demonstrate native or near-native fluency in spoken and written English (80% of the time as per the NCEIC), American Sign Language, deaf and non-deaf cultures
2. Effectively interpret audio and video texts, as well as live presentations, across a variety of genres and be able to adapt interpretations to consumer modality preferences
3. Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal skills and professionalism across all classroom/program-related settings, while interacting with others, with an awareness of linguistic, cultural, contextual and personality differences
4. Make appropriate and effective ethical decisions, both in practical and authentic interpreting situations in alignment with RID's Code of Professional Conduct and Kent State University's Code of Student Conduct
5. Demonstrate adaptability and teachability
6. Articulate the impact of interpreting models, theories and best practices and how they inform one's work
7. Recognize substantive linguistic and paralinguistic cues from others from a distance of 3-10 feet in a variety of environments
    

Professional Licensure Disclosure

This program is designed to prepare students to sit for applicable licensure or certification in Ohio. If you plan to pursue licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please review state educational requirements for licensure or certification and contact information for state licensing boards at Kent State's website for professional licensure disclosure.