American Sign Language/English Interpreting - B.S.
School of Lifespan Development and Educational Services
405 White Hall
Kent Campus
330-672-2294
www.kent.edu/ehhs/ldes
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:
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Demonstrate adaptability and teachability
- Articulate the impact of interpreting models, theories and best practices and how they inform one's work
- 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.
University Requirements
All students in a bachelor's degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements. Please see Program Requirements for details.
Requirement | Credits/Courses |
---|---|
Destination Kent State: First Year Experience | 1 |
Course is not required for students with 25 transfer credits, excluding College Credit Plus, or age 21+ at time of admission. | |
Diversity Domestic/Global (DIVD/DIVG) | 2 courses |
Students must successfully complete one domestic and one global course, of which one must be from the Kent Core. | |
Experiential Learning Requirement (ELR) | varies |
Students must successfully complete one course or approved experience. | |
Kent Core (see table below) | 36-37 |
Writing-Intensive Course (WIC) | 1 course |
Students must earn a minimum C grade in the course. | |
Upper-Division Requirement | 39 (or 42) |
Students must successfully complete 39 upper-division (numbered 30000 to 49999) credit hours to graduate. Students in a B.A. and/or B.S. degree in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete 42 upper-division credit hours. | |
Total Credit Hour Requirement | 120 |
Some bachelor's degrees require students to complete more than 120 credit hours. |
Kent Core Requirements
Requirement | Credits/Courses |
---|---|
Kent Core Composition (KCMP) | 6 |
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning (KMCR) | 3 |
Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (KHUM/KFA) (min one course each) | 9 |
Kent Core Social Sciences (KSS) (must be from two disciplines) | 6 |
Kent Core Basic Sciences (KBS/KLAB) (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 |
Kent Core Additional (KADL) | 6 |
Total Credit Hours: | 36-37 |
Program Requirements
Major requirements
Code | Title | Credit Hours |
---|---|---|
Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA) | ||
ASEI 43100 | SURVEY OF THE INTERPRETING PROFESSION (WIC) (min B- grade) | 3 |
ASEI 43102 | INTERPRETING PROCESSES I (min C grade) | 3 |
ASEI 43103 | INTERPRETING PROCESSES II (min C grade) 1 | 3 |
ASEI 43104 | INTERPRETING PROCESSES III (min B- grade) 1 | 3 |
ASEI 43105 | TRANSLITERATING (min C grade) 1 | 3 |
ASEI 43106 | SCHOOL SETTING INTERPRETING (min C grade) | 3 |
ASEI 43107 | COMMUNITY SETTING INTERPRETING (min C grade) 1 | 3 |
ASEI 43108 | MEDICAL INTERPRETING (min C grade) | 3 |
ASEI 43109 | MENTAL HEALTH INTERPRETING (min C grade) | 3 |
ASEI 43110 | DISCOURSE ANALYSIS FOR INTERPRETERS (min C grade) 1 | 3 |
ASEI 43111 | THE PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETER (min C grade) 1 | 3 |
ASEI 43112 | INTERACTIVE INTERPRETING (min C grade) 1 | 3 |
ASEI 43113 | ASL TO ENGLISH INTERPRETING PROCESSES (min C grade) | 3 |
ASEI 43192 | ADVANCED PRACTICUM: ASL ENGLISH INTERPRETING (ELR) 1, 2 | 9 |
ASEI 49625 | INQUIRY SEMINAR FOR ASL-ENGLISH INTERPRETERS (min C grade) 1 | 3 |
ASL 19201 | ELEMENTARY AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I (min C grade) | 4 |
ASL 19202 | ELEMENTARY AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II (min C grade) | 4 |
ASL 29201 | INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I (min C grade) | 3 |
ASL 29202 | INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II (min C grade) | 3 |
ASL 39201 | ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I (min C grade) | 3 |
ASL 39202 | ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II (min C grade) | 3 |
ASL 49108 | AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE LINGUISTICS I (min C grade) | 3 |
ASL 49401 | DEAF CULTURE AND COMMUNITY (min C grade) | 3 |
COMM 35852 | INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION (DIVG) (min C grade) | 3 |
SPED 43092 | DEAF RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL FIELD EXPERIENCE (ELR) 1,2 | 1 |
SPED 43310 | LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT FOR DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING STUDENTS (min C grade) 1 | 3 |
Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA) | ||
PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
PSYC 20651 | CHILD PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
UC 10097 | DESTINATION KENT STATE: FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE | 1 |
Kent Core Composition (min C grade) | 6 | |
Kent Core Mathematics and Critical Reasoning | 3 | |
Kent Core Humanities and Fine Arts (minimum one course from each) | 9 | |
Kent Core Social Sciences | 3 | |
Kent Core Basic Sciences (must include one laboratory) | 6-7 | |
Kent Core Additional | 3 | |
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 121 |
1 | Professional Phase coursework. |
2 | For field experiences, residential practicum and advanced practicum that require candidates to be placed within a school or agency setting, the college requires candidates to complete the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCII) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks and submit the results to authorized personnel at their assigned school/agency before the beginning of the field experience or the first day of the semester in which the field experience or practicum will take place. Authorized school/agency personnel will determine whether a candidate may participate in fieldwork in that setting. The BCII and FBI background checks are good for one year and are mandatory for licensure application. Electronic fingerprinting is available for BCII and FBI in 221 White Hall and should be completed at least two months prior to field experience residential practicum/advanced practicum. Regional campus students should contact their Regional Campus coordinator to identify fingerprinting availability at each campus. Candidates are responsible for fees incurred for this requirement. For more information on this policy, contact the Director of Clinical Field Experience in 304 White Hall. Visit the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) website at http://ode.state.oh.us for more information about background check requirements in Ohio. Contact the Office of Professional Conduct at the ODE for specific information about the results of the background check. Due to the length of time that a student participates in the variety of work experiences within the ASL/English Interpreting program, the student may need to complete a minimum of two background checks. Also, if a student is placed out of state, s/he may need to get a background check completed in that respective state according to the requirements of that state. |
Progression Requirements
- To be able to continue in the program, students must be accepted to the professional phase, comprised of ASEI 43103, ASEI 43105, ASEI 43107, ASEI 43110, ASEI 43111, ASEI 43112, ASEI 43192, ASEI 49625, SPED 43092 and SPED 43310. Typically, students must apply for the professional phase by the end of the second week of the fourth semester. To be eligible for the professional phase, students must have the following:
- Minimum 3.000 major GPA1
- Minimum 2.750 overall GPA1
- Minimum C grade in ASEI 43102, ASL 19201, ASL 19202, ENG 11011 and ENG 21011 (or their equivalents)
- Minimum B- grade in ASEI 43100
- Passing score on the portfolio interview after ASL 29202 (students who are placed directly into an advanced ASL course are not required to complete the portfolio interview)
Students who are not able to advance into the professional phase or are not able to pass the proficiency exam will receive a warning and will be required to meet with their faculty and professional advisors to develop a plan of continuation. The plan will include all actions necessary to continue in current program, the opportunity to declare a different program, a timeline of when actions should occur and next steps if actions are not followed. Students who have received a warning the previous term will be reviewed during end-of-term processing to determine their status regarding continuation in the major.
The purpose of the professional phase is to ensure that students in the major have adequate preparation necessary to successfully complete upper-division curriculum, including a senior-level practicum, which provides students with professional training in the field of interpreting.
Before students are approved for ASEI 43192, they must do the following:
- Complete all coursework, with the exception of ASEI 43192 and ASEI 49625
- Possess a 2.750 overall GPA and a 3.000 major GPA
- Complete the prescribed number of clinical application hours
- Pass the Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI) at the intermediate level or receive a minimum level 2 on the American Sign Language Proficiency Interview (ASLPI) before October 31 of the semester prior to practicum. The SLPI must be taken at the Ohio School for the Deaf.
1 | Undergraduate students who have not completed a minimum of 12 Kent State University credit hours will be evaluated for advanced study and professional phase based on their high school GPA for new freshmen or transfer GPA for transfer students. |
Graduation Requirements
Minimum Major GPA | Minimum Overall GPA |
---|---|
3.000 | 2.750 |
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Semester One | Credits | ||
---|---|---|---|
! | ASL 19201 | ELEMENTARY AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I | 4 |
UC 10097 | DESTINATION KENT STATE: FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE | 1 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 14 | ||
Semester Two | |||
! | ASL 19202 | ELEMENTARY AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II | 4 |
PSYC 11762 | GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 16 | ||
Semester Three | |||
Requirement: minimum 3.000 major GPA and 2.750 overall GPA by end of semester | |||
! | ASEI 43100 | SURVEY OF THE INTERPRETING PROFESSION (WIC) | 3 |
! | ASEI 43106 | SCHOOL SETTING INTERPRETING | 3 |
! | ASL 29201 | INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I | 3 |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 15 | ||
Semester Four | |||
! | ASEI 43102 | INTERPRETING PROCESSES I | 3 |
ASEI 43113 | ASL TO ENGLISH INTERPRETING PROCESSES | 3 | |
! | ASL 29202 | INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II | 3 |
! | ASL 49401 | DEAF CULTURE AND COMMUNITY | 3 |
PSYC 20651 | CHILD PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 18 | ||
Semester Five | |||
! | ASEI 43103 | INTERPRETING PROCESSES II | 3 |
! | ASEI 43108 | MEDICAL INTERPRETING | 3 |
! | ASEI 43111 | THE PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETER | 3 |
! | ASL 39201 | ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I | 3 |
! | SPED 43310 | LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT FOR DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING STUDENTS | 3 |
Credit Hours | 15 | ||
Semester Six | |||
! | ASEI 43105 | TRANSLITERATING | 3 |
! | ASEI 43107 | COMMUNITY SETTING INTERPRETING | 3 |
! | ASEI 43109 | MENTAL HEALTH INTERPRETING | 3 |
! | ASEI 43110 | DISCOURSE ANALYSIS FOR INTERPRETERS | 3 |
! | ASL 39202 | ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II | 3 |
! | SPED 43092 | DEAF RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL FIELD EXPERIENCE (ELR) | 1 |
Credit Hours | 16 | ||
Semester Seven | |||
! | ASEI 43104 | INTERPRETING PROCESSES III | 3 |
! | ASEI 43112 | INTERACTIVE INTERPRETING | 3 |
! | ASL 49108 | AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE LINGUISTICS I | 3 |
COMM 35852 | INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION (DIVG) | 3 | |
Kent Core Requirement | 3 | ||
Credit Hours | 15 | ||
Semester Eight | |||
! | ASEI 43192 | ADVANCED PRACTICUM: ASL ENGLISH INTERPRETING (ELR) | 9 |
! | ASEI 49625 | INQUIRY SEMINAR FOR ASL-ENGLISH INTERPRETERS | 3 |
Credit Hours | 12 | ||
Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 121 |