American Sign Language Program
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders offers courses in American Sign Language. The courses in ASL can be used towards the foreign language requirement of the Bachelor of Arts degree. The Department offers ASL 1-4. These classes utilize a "Signing Naturally" approach. Beginning in the fall semester of 2009, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders will offer a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Sign Language Interpreting.
Background
The proposal for a new Bachelor of Arts in American Sign Language Interpreting (UC 9271 07S) was endorsed by the Undergraduate Council on April 18, 2007 and subsequently approved on February 6, 2009, effective January 1, 2009, by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Overview of the American Sign Language Interpreting Program
The University of Houston American Sign Language Interpreting (ASLI) program is designed to prepare undergraduates to be certified Interpreters for the Deaf. Interpreters for the Deaf facilitate communication between the Deaf and typically hearing impaired individuals and groups in a vast array of settings such as: schools, courtrooms, hospitals, television and video relay stations.
Courses are taught by both deaf and hearing instructors. Students interact with professional interpreters and the deaf community throughout their program of study in a variety of interpreting experiences. Graduates of the ALSI program must be proficient in both English and American Sign Language and will complete all University of Houston requirements for a Bachelor of Arts degree. The goal of the program is for graduates to be qualified to pass the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (national) and/or Board of Evaluation of Interpreters (Texas) certification exams, and to gain employment in a growing field of high demand.
For more information on the ASLI program, please click on the link for general information. You may also visit the link to our admission criteria as well as the curriculum and the courses offered.