PROGRAM MISSION
The Department of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies offers a MA degree in Sign Language Education. This program is designed to prepare future sign language teachers, who will provide exemplary leadership in the sign language teaching field. Students will be introduced to key theoretical and methodological issues involved in sign language instruction including curriculum development, assessment, and incorporating Deaf culture into the language curriculum. In addition, students will undertake a teaching practicum and internship under the supervision of a cooperating teacher. An electronic portfolio is required at the completion of the program, which represents the culmination of the student's academic performance.
GRADUATE PROGRAM STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Graduates from the MA program in Sign Language Education will:
1) Demonstrate theoretical knowledge and display competence in classroom settings regarding methodological and socio-political issues involved in sign language teaching, curriculum development and assessment.
2) Produce graduate level Sign Language and English texts that demonstrate knowledge of and critical inquiry into key concepts in the Sign Language teaching field.
3) Recognize the importance of the Sign Language teacher as a system change agent and apply this in practice utilizing effective leadership, advocacy, consultation, and collaboration to influence change on the individual, group, and organizational and systemic levels.
4) Demonstrate preparedness to seek and obtain employment as a teaching professional in the field of sign language education.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Master in Sign Language Education (MASLED) program is a 15-month Summer/Online program. In other typical 2-year graduate programs, there are four semesters of study, usually fall and spring semesters. Our four semesters of study begin with the first semester occurring during the Summer, the second semester during the Fall, third semester during the Spring, and the fourth and final semester during the following Summer.
Students begin the program mid-May online, then arrive on campus for required face-to-face courses for five weeks during the summer. In other words, these summer courses are not fully online, and not fully face-to-face, but are considered as hybrid courses, a blend of online and onsite education.
The fall and spring semester courses are entirely online and do not require on-campus presence. If you are interested in face-to-face, onsite classes, you are welcome to stay locally or in the dorms and take on campus courses that are available.
Students who take at least two additional required elective courses during the fall or spring semesters will be eligible to march during commencement after three semesters of study, in May, provided they have only two courses or less in the final semester (summer) of study. For more details about this option, click here.
The final set of summer courses begin online in mid-May, with on-campus study for 4 weeks, with August graduation.
You may want to consider applying for admission to the graduate Certificate in Deaf Studies program in addition to a Masters degree in Sign Language Education for a MA+15 option.
Please contact us for more details anytime at masled@gallaudet.edu.
* While the Masters in Sign Language Education degree program is accredited as a degree program at Gallaudet University, the MASLED program is not a state approved licensure program or part of the professional programs unit accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). Instead, our students are strongly encouraged to successfully complete national certification with the ASL Teachers Association (ASLTA) prior to graduation. If you are seeking employment in K-12 school settings, you would be best advised to contact your state office of licensure and certification to see if our program meets their requirements. We are happy to assist with this process.