What if you do not have a BA degree in a related field?

​Since the field of sign language pedagogy is a relatively recent phenomenon, we understand many of the applicants for our program do not have a Bachelor’s degree in a related field such as ASL, Deaf Studies or Linguistics. For those who do not have a degree in a related field, we strongly recommend including in your application a list of professional development events, lectures, workshops or conferences attended. Professional development topics vary and can include Sign Language pedagogical strategies, Deaf history and culture, Sign Language linguistics, discourse and structure, classifiers and/or depiction, fingerspelling and numbers, non-manual signals and markers. Professional development does not include your work (teaching) experience or courses that are already on your undergraduate/graduate transcripts.

Undergraduate/graduate transcripts are required by Graduate Admissions, and will be reviewed separately. Document your professional development in a list format, where the name of the workshop is listed, the dates, sponsoring agency and the number of hours attended, with a running total at the end of the list. For ASL educators, we highly recommend becoming active members in your local ASL Teachers Association (ASLTA) and attending the bi-annual national ASLTA conference and annual national ASL RoundTable conference to help strengthen your application and preparation for the competitive Masters in Sign Language Education program.

We have noticed that applicants who are admitted into the program usually:

• Are members of their local ASLTA chapter and national ASLTA organization.
• Attend local workshops, presentations, and training related to ASL, linguistics, Deaf Studies, education and/or interpreting.
• Have academic background, coursework and/or degrees in sign language, linguistics, Deaf Studies, education and/or interpreting (e.g. AA or BA degree in a relevant field)
• Are sign language teachers, tutors, consultants, diagnosticians and/or trainers.
• Are sign language proficiency evaluators/raters.
• Are interpreters, or in the process of being Certified Interpreters (Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDI)/National Interpreter Certification (NIC)/Board of Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) certified.
• Have strong language skills in both ASL and English, including competency in comprehending and producing academic discourse in both languages.
• Are familiar with the formal, respectful etiquette involved in application process.