American Sign Language (ASL) /
English Interpreting Graduate Program

Master of Science in American Sign Language (ASL)/English Interpreting

The Master of Science (M.S.) in ASL/English Interpreting is designed to meet the needs of students who aspire to national certification and become general practitioners or who are already certified and seek to increase their interpreting skill sets and knowledge bases. The program consists of 36 credit hours that include courses in specialized settings, mentoring, research, service-learning, diversity, and a capstone internship for pre-certified interpreters. Certified interpreters (CSC, CI and CT, NIC, NAD V) are exempt from the 6-hour Internship, reducing their Program of Study to 30 credit hours.

The University of North Florida's ASL/English Interpreting programs are committed to upholding the Accreditation Standards formulated by the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education. The Master's degree is offered via distance learning (no need to relocate) with a combination of online classes, one weekend per semester onsite in Jacksonville, FL, and a 5-day onsite summer session to accommodate students who do not live in northeast Florida. The program is developed in accordance with current spoken and signed language research and strives to provide students a global perspective on the interpreting profession, a foundation in interpreting studies literature, and a growth mindset for lifelong learning and skills development. This program shares core courses with the Interpreting Pedagogy concentration and many of its graduates are working as interpreter educators. Faculty members within the program are actively engaged in interpreting research and developing opportunities for students to participate in international exchanges with interpreting programs abroad. 

In-state tuition may be available within the Southern Regional Education Board area (AL, AR, DE, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, WVA) if you qualify for Academic Common Market (ACM) in a participating state. Please visit the following link to check viability and to initiate an application with your state ACM representative:http://www.sreb.org/page/1304/academic_common_market.html. For those outside of this region, UNF offers a reduced tuition rate for qualifying states. For more information about your state's agreement to participate with UNF in offering this degree program, please visit this site:  http://www.unf.edu/distancelearning/Student_Resources.aspx

Now accepting applications for Fall 2013 (Deadline August 1)

Admission to the Program

Those entering the College of Education and Human Services must meet Graduate School admissions requirements as well as specific COEHS admissions criteria. For more information, see the Graduate Handbook for the Interpreting Program.

 Applicants seeking admission to the graduate program must have the following:

1. An AS/AA degree in Interpreting plus a QA 1,OR a Bachelor's in a related field plus national certification AND permission of program director
2. A 3.0 GPA during the last 60 hours in your first baccalaureate program and a composite score (verbal and quantitative sections) of a 1000 on the Graduate Records Examination (or equivalent score after December 1, 2011)

The application to the Graduate School includes:

1. Online Application (see Graduate School website).
2. Two letters of recommendation from people familiar with your academic background and aptitude for graduate work, specifying in detail your capabilities for future performance and scholarship. At least one letter from a college/university professor is preferred.
3. Written statement (500-1000 words): Why you are seeking admission to UNF's Interpreting program? What are your professional goals, and how will UNF's Interpreter Education Program help you attain your goals? At the end of this Written Statement, provide a link to an unlisted YouTube presentation of your professional goals in ASL (minimum 3 minutes).
4. Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score (verbal, quantitative, and writing).
5. Official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate study.
6. Application fee.

Prerequisites

 Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree with previous interpreting coursework that includes:

• Language (minimum of 17 hours) -- American Sign Language, Fingerspelling & Numbers, Advanced ASL Discourse, Comparative Linguistics, ASL Structure
• Foundation Courses (minimum of 9 hours) -- Deaf Culture, Introduction to Interpreting, Interpreting Ethics
• Interpretation/Transliteration Skills Courses (minimum of 15 hours)
• Sign to Voice, Voice to Sign, Interpretation/Transliteration, Applied Interpretation Theory and Process
• Field Work
• Practicum, Internship, Field Experience (minimum of 9 hours)

or

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in another field, National Certification (CSC, CI/CT, NAD IV/V, NIC), and Program Permission.

Once the Graduate School receives all materials, the College of Education & Human Services Academic Advising office reviews them and eligibility for admission is verified. Once that has been determined, the electronic files of all your materials become available to the Interpreting Program Director for final decision about admission. Once approved, the student receives an official letter of admission (and e-mail message), which is then provided to the respective states for Academic Common Market processing.

All questions regarding admission may be directed to the Graduate School at graduateschool@unf.edu.

 NOTE: 

• Internship is waived for students who have achieved NAD-RID certification (CSC, CI, CT, NIC, NAD IV/V).
• Up to 8 hours may be transferred into the program.
• No more than 10 semester hours can be completed before a student is fully admitted including a maximum of 8 semester hours of approved transfer credits from another institution.
• A student may receive credit for a course only once. However, the GPA will reflect all repeated courses.
• An approved Dual/Concurrent enrollment form is required prior to registering for courses at another institution.
• Students are strongly advised not to enroll in courses at another institution during their last semester at UNF.
• Graduation will most likely be delayed for students who attempt dual enrollment in their last semester.