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American Sign Language

American Sign Language (ASL) Degree – B.A.

The Bachelor of Arts degree in American Sign Language (ASL) presents American Sign Language as a culture- and community-based language that interacts with other world languages. Through techniques – including immersion and bilingual-bicultural comparison classes, community interaction, research, lab activities, and the use of digital video technology – students gain documented proficiency in American Sign Language, validity within the Deaf community, and numerous networking opportunities within the professional community.

Want to learn more about the program objectives and possible career paths with an American Sign Language degree from 91¸£Àû? If so, please review our program outline or reach out to our team for more information.

NCATE Accredited

Teacher licensure program achieved through the major and an Education minor

Comprehensive Cultural Focus

Explores the history, literature, and social aspects of Deaf culture alongside language fluency

20% Projected Job Growth

For interpreters and translators over the next 10 years

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91¸£Àû Our B.A. in American Sign Language

91¸£Àû's ASL degree provides students with comprehensive language skills and cultural understanding of the Deaf community. The program focuses on developing fluency in ASL while exploring the history, literature, and social aspects of Deaf culture. 

Through immersive language practice and theoretical study, students gain the expertise needed to pursue careers in interpreting, education, or advocacy, or to engage in further academic study in Deaf studies and linguistics. Graduates are prepared to work in diverse settings where communication and cultural competency in ASL are essential.

Program Information for American Sign Language (ASL) Degree – B.A.

Program Description

Full Description

The Bachelor of Arts degree in American Sign Language presents American Sign Language as a culture- and community-based language that interacts with other world languages. Through techniques — including immersion and bilingual-bicultural comparison classes, community interaction, research, lab activities and use of digital video technology — students gain documented proficiency in American Sign Language, validity within the deaf community and networking within the professional community.

Admissions for American Sign Language (ASL) Degree – B.A.

Admission Requirements

The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students.

First-Year Students on the Kent Campus: First-year admission policy on the Kent Campus is selective. Admission decisions are based upon cumulative grade point average, strength of high school college preparatory curriculum and grade trends. Students not admissible to the Kent Campus may be administratively referred to one of the seven regional campuses to begin their college coursework. For more information, visit the .

First-Year Students on the Regional Campuses: First-year admission to 91¸£Àû’s campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, as well as the Twinsburg Academic Center, is open to anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent. For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.

International Students: All international students must provide proof of proficiency of the English language (unless they meet specific exceptions) through the submission of an English language proficiency test score or by completing English language classes at 91¸£Àû’s English as a Second Language Center before entering their program. For more information, visit the admissions website for international students.

Former Students: Former 91¸£Àû students who have not attended another institution since 91¸£Àû and were not academically dismissed will complete the re-enrollment process through the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center. Former students who attended another college or university since leaving 91¸£Àû must apply for admissions as a transfer or post-undergraduate student.

Transfer Students: Students who attended an educational institution after graduating from high school or earning their GED must apply as transfer students. For more information, visit the admissions website for transfer students.

Admission policies for undergraduate students may be found in the University Catalog's .

Students may be required to meet certain criteria to progress in their program. Any progression requirements will be listed on the program's Coursework tab

Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of this program will be able to:

  1. Participate in informal conversations with other speakers of American Sign Language.
  2. Engage in some formal conversations in American Sign Language in workplace settings.
  3. Watch films, plays and other multimedia presentations in American Sign Language with minimal need to use closed captions.
  4. Interact in American Sign Language in culturally appropriate ways.

Coursework

On This Page

Program Requirements

Major Requirements

Major Requirements (courses count in major GPA)
ASL 19201ELEMENTARY AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I 14
ASL 19202ELEMENTARY AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II 14
ASL 29201INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I 13
ASL 29202INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II 13
ASL 39201ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE: NARRATIVE AND STORYTELLING 3
ASL 39202ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE: PRACTICAL COMMUNICATION 3
ASL 39223SOCIOLINGUISTICS OF THE DEAF COMMUNITY (WIC) 23
or SPED 43309 INTRODUCTION TO DEAF STUDIES (ELR) (WIC)
12
3
Major Elective, choose from the following:3
ANTH 48214
POLITICS OF CULTURE (ELR) (WIC) 2
ASEI 43100
SURVEY OF THE INTERPRETING PROFESSION
MCLS 30420
FOREIGN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE STUDIES
MCLS 40095
SELECTED TOPICS
SOC 32570
INEQUALITY IN SOCIETIES
SPED 43306
FUNDAMENTALS OF AUDIOLOGY FOR STUDENTS WITH HEARING LOSS
SPED 43307
LISTENING, LANGUAGE AND PHONEMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HEARING LOSS
Additional Requirements (courses do not count in major GPA)
UC 10001FLASHES 101 1
33
6
3
36-9
33-6
6-7
6
General Electives (total credit hours depends on earning 120 credit hours, including 39 upper-division credit hours)42
Minimum Total Credit Hours:120
1

Students with a background in American Sign Language, whether acquired informally or through coursework, should contact MCLS@kent.edu to take an ASL placement assessment. Students with prior knowledge of American Sign Language may be able to fulfill one or more of the elementary and intermediate language courses through an option, or by starting in a higher level course than ASL 19201 via placement and making up the credit hours for any waived courses with general electives.

2

A minimum C grade must be earned to fulfill the writing-intensive requirement.

3

If students complete the American Civic Literacy requirement by taking HIST 12061, the course will apply to the Kent Core Humanities category. If they complete it with POL 10101, the course will apply to the Kent Core Social Sciences category.

Graduation Requirements
Minimum Major GPA Minimum Overall GPA
2.000 2.000
  • To earn the degree, students must successfully show documentation of a proficiency level of either (a) Intermediate or above on the Sign Language Proficiency Interview (SLPI); or (b) a 2+ on the ASL Proficiency Interview (ASLPI); or (c) a PASS on the Ohio American Sign Language (ASL) Assessment for Teachers of World Languages (Subtests I and II).

Program Note

  • Some courses in the Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies are offered on a rotating basis, and course availability may change at any time. Please see the program coordinator or your academic advisor for course planning.

Foreign Language College Requirement, B.A.

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree* in the College of Sciences and Humanities must complete the following:

  1. Elementary I and II of any language (or equivalent) and
  2. One of the following options:
    1. Intermediate I and II of the same language
    2. Elementary I and II of a second language
    3. Any combination of two courses from the following list:
      1. Intermediate I of the same language
      2. One to two college-level course(s) completed outside the United States
      3. Courses: ARAB 21401, ASL 19401, CHIN 25421, MCLS 10001, MCLS 20001, MCLS 20091, MCLS 21417, MCLS 21420, MCLS 22217, MCLS 28403, MCLS 28404

*The Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies is exempt from the foreign language requirement until fall 2028 due to its previous longstanding academic placement in the College of Communication and Information, which does not have a foreign language requirement.

All students with prior foreign language experience should take the foreign language placement test to determine the appropriate level at which to start. Some students may start beyond the Elementary I level and will complete the requirement with fewer courses. This may be accomplished in one of three ways:

  1. Passing a course beyond Elementary I through Intermediate II level
  2. Receiving credit through one of the offered by 91¸£Àû
  3. Demonstrating comparable to Elementary II of a foreign language

Certain programs may require specific languages, limit the languages from which a student may choose or require coursework through Intermediate II. Students who plan to pursue graduate study may need a particular language proficiency.

Roadmap

Roadmap

This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this program. Students will work with their advisor to develop a sequence based on their academic goals and history. Courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
!ASL 19201 ELEMENTARY AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I 4
UC 10001 FLASHES 101 1
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours14
Semester Two
!ASL 19202 ELEMENTARY AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II 4
American Civic Literacy Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours16
Semester Three
!ASL 29201 INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE I 3
American Sign Language (ASL) Elective 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Four
!ASL 29202 INTERMEDIATE AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE II 3
American Sign Language (ASL) Elective 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
Kent Core Requirement 3
General Elective 3
 Credit Hours15
Semester Five
!ASL 39201
or ASL 39202
 ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE: NARRATIVE AND STORYTELLING
or ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE: PRACTICAL COMMUNICATION
3
ASL 39223
or SPED 43309
 SOCIOLINGUISTICS OF THE DEAF COMMUNITY (WIC)
or INTRODUCTION TO DEAF STUDIES (ELR) (WIC)
3
or Major Elective
 
American Sign Language (ASL) Elective 3
General Electives 6
 Credit Hours15
Semester Six
!ASL 39201
or ASL 39202
 ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE: NARRATIVE AND STORYTELLING
or ADVANCED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE: PRACTICAL COMMUNICATION
3
ASL 39223
or SPED 43309
 SOCIOLINGUISTICS OF THE DEAF COMMUNITY (WIC)
or INTRODUCTION TO DEAF STUDIES (ELR) (WIC)
3
or Major Elective
 
General Electives 9
 Credit Hours15
Semester Seven
American Sign Language (ASL) Elective 3
American Sign Language (ASL) Upper-Division Elective (40000 level) 3
General Electives 9
 Credit Hours15
Semester Eight
General Electives 15
 Credit Hours15
 Minimum Total Credit Hours:120

Program Delivery

  • Delivery:
    • In person
  • Location:
    • Kent Campus

Accreditation for American Sign Language (ASL) Degree – B.A.

The American Sign Language teacher licensure program (through this major and the Education certificate) is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Examples of Possible Jobs and Salaries for American Sign Language (ASL) Degree – B.A.

Graduates of 91¸£Àû’s B.A. in American Sign Language are well-prepared for careers in interpreting, education, and advocacy within the Deaf community. The ASL bachelor’s degree program focuses mainly on language fluency, Deaf culture, and communication skills, equipping students to work effectively in diverse settings. 

After receiving their degree, graduates often pursue roles such as ASL interpreters, Deaf education teachers, and community outreach coordinators, contributing to fields like language interpretation, special education, and social services.

Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary

-0.2%

little or no change

26,400

number of jobs

$77,010

potential earnings

Interpreters and translators

1.7%

slower than the average

75,300

number of jobs

$59,440

potential earnings

Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education

-1.6%

decline

1,094,500

number of jobs

$64,580

potential earnings

Notice: Career Information Source
* Source of occupation titles and labor data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' . Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.

Why 91¸£Àû Is Your Source for an American Sign Language Degree

There are numerous reasons why students continue to select 91¸£Àû for their American Sign Language degree, including the fact that there are plenty of opportunities to expand their professional network and build rapport with individuals within the ASL industry. This can be accomplished through a diverse array of events and workshops, which help students to gain more professional experience as they complete their courses.

Additionally, the passionate team at 91¸£Àû is dedicated to providing you with unwavering support throughout your journey at our university. So, whether you’re looking to pursue a career in education, advocacy, or any other related field, know that we want to supply you with the definitive resources needed to excel in any role of your choosing. 

Ultimately, our team understands that each student’s journey within our bachelor's degree in American Sign Language is personalized to their unique interests. That’s why we want to do our part in providing a one-of-a-kind college experience that is tailored to these goals and aspirations.

Apply to Our ASL Bachelor’s Degree Program Today

Ready to take the next steps toward a successful and long-lasting career in the translation industry? If so, please apply for our ASL degree program. And if you have any questions about our program objectives, contact us directly, as we look forward to discussing your future with you.

Equipping Our Students for Success

People using sign language
Empowerment through Languages

The vast majority of our graduates get teaching jobs right after graduating from 91¸£Àû. American Sign Language particularly has seen unprecedented growth, and the demand for teachers is high. World language teachers empower their students by helping them to become better human beings as they gain awareness, appreciation and connection with world languages.

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