Master of Education in
Special Education:
Concentration: American Sign Language (ASL)/English
Interpreting
Master
of Education in Special Education:
Concentration: American Sign
Language (ASL)/English Interpreting
The
Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Special Education, with the focus on
American Sign Language (ASL)/English Interpreting, is designed to
meet the needs of students who are interested in becoming nationally
certified sign language interpreters. The program consists of 43
semester hours that include prerequisites, core and major
requirements.
The
University of North Florida's ASL/English Interpreting programs are
committed to upholding the National Interpreter Education Standards
as formulated by the Conference of Interpreter Trainers. The Master's degree concentration is offered in a distance-friendly
modality with online, one-weekend-per-semester/online,
and 5-day summer session/online formats to accommodate students who
do not live in northeast Florida. The program is developed in
accordance with current spoken and signed language research and
targets interpreters who aspire to become nationally certified or
who are already certified.
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.
ADMISSION TO THE
PROGRAM
Applicants
seeking admission to the College of Education and Human Services must
have the following to be eligible for a graduate program: 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 / or a composite score (verbal and
quantitative sections) of a 1000 on the Graduate Records Examination
(GRE); Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for
admissions must apply under the college's
exception policy.
Applicants must also
submit - 3 letters of recommendation on official letterhead. All applicants
seeking admission are required to meet with an academic advisor and
sign a tentative program of study prior to admission. Contact Dr.
Sherry Shaw at sherry.shaw@unf.edu or 904-620-1811 for further information.
-
Degree:Master
of Education
-
Major: Special
Education
Concentration: American
Sign Language/English Interpreting
-
Entrance
Requirements:
1.
Bachelor's Degree GPA 3.0 or GRE score of at least 1000 (all must take GRE)
2.
Prerequisites:
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 hrs.)
Sign
to Voice, Voice to Sign, Interpretation/Transliteration, Applied
Interpretation Theory and Process
Field
Work
Practicum, Internship, Field Experience (minimum of 9 hrs.)
-
OR
-
B.
BA or BS Degree in another field, National Certification (CSC,
CI/CT, NAD IV/V, NIC), and Program Permission
Core
Requirements
Course Delivery Plan
-
EDF |
6607 |
3.0 |
EDUCATION
IN AMERICA |
Online
or transfer* |
EDF |
6480 |
3.0 |
FOUND
ED RESEARCH |
Online
or transfer* |
Major
Requirements
-
INT |
5457 |
3.0 |
INTERP
FOR DIVERSE POP |
Online |
INT |
6911 |
3.0 |
APPL.
RESEARCH IN INTERP |
Online |
INT |
5590 |
4.0 |
SERVICE
LEARNING |
Online
+ project (your area) |
EEX |
5595 |
3.0 |
INTERPRETING
IN HEALTHCARE |
Online
+ 1 weekend (F, S, Su) |
EEX |
5991 |
3.0 |
INT
PROCESS/SKILL DEV II |
Online
+ 1 weekend |
INT |
6276 |
3.0 |
ADV.
INT PROC/SKILL DEV I |
Online
+ 1 weekend |
INT |
6277 |
3.0 |
ADV.
INT PROC/SKILL DEV II |
Online
+ 3-5-day summer session |
ASL |
6619 |
3.0 |
ADV.
ASL CONVERSATION |
Online
+ 3-5-day summer session |
TSL |
6525 |
3.0 |
CROSS
CULT. COMM/KNOW |
Online |
INT |
6932 |
3.0 |
SPECIAL
TOPICS |
Online |
INT |
6944 |
6.0 |
INTERPRETING
INTERNSHIP |
Field
Placement/Online Seminars |
TOTAL 43 HOURS
* Up
to 8 hours may be transferred into the program. These courses are
occasionally offered online on demand.
For more
information, contact:
Dr.
Sherry Shaw, ASL/English Interpreting Program
1
UNF Drive, Building 15/3119, Jacksonville, FL
32226
sherry.shaw@unf.edu
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
-
What are the
entrance requirements?
The Master's prerequisite is a minimum of 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. AS/AA
degrees will be evaluated on an individual basis to make sure they
contain the necessary foundational coursework. Prospective
students who live in areas not accessible to QA assessment will be
considered on an individual basis through an interview process.
-
How are the
courses delivered? Do I have to live in Jacksonville?
All
courses are offered in delivery modes that allow students to live
at a distance. Courses are either totally online, hybrid online
with 1
weekend a semester onsite in Jacksonville (Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday) during spring and fall semesters, or hybrid online with 4-5 days
onsite in Jacksonville in summer.
-
How long will
it take to complete the program?
Depending
upon when you enter the program, it may take 2 to 2.5 years to
complete. You will be able to take a minimum of 6 hours per
semester, or maximum of 9 (considered full-time graduate study).
Some of the courses are located outside our department and require
us to collaborate with them to make sure the classes are available
to you on a regular basis. Currently, it is possible to enter in
any semester.
-
What do I have
to make on the GRE to be admitted to the program?
If
you have a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of your Bachelor's, the GRE
scores do not affect admission. However,
you still have to take it, and it may be used as part of a formula
for selective admission when there are a large number of
applicants. In other words, the GRE can be a valuable competitive
tool for admission. If your GPA is lower than 3.0, the Graduate School requires you to
have a minimum composite GRE score of 1000.
-
Who should
write my reference letters?
The
3 letters of reference should come from professional interpreters,
agency heads, or colleagues who can speak to your ability to study
successfully in graduate school. The letters should be on
letterhead, addressed to Dr. Len Roberson, Dept. Chair Exceptional
Student and Deaf Education, and submitted to the Graduate School.
-
How many hours
may I transfer into the program?
You
may transfer up to 8 hours of graduate credit into your Program of Study; however, these
must be approved by either Dr. Roberson or Dr. Shaw.
-
What if I live
out of state?
If
you live in a state within the Southern Regional Education Board
area (AL, AR, DE, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WVA),
you will qualify for Academic Common Market (ACM). This means that you may attend UNF at the same rate as in-state
students. Information about Academic Common Market can be found on
the regional website http://www.sreb.org/.
For more information and assistance, contact Mr. Keith Martin
(keith.martin@unf.edu), ACM Coordinator
in the UNF Graduate School. First,
you need to be admitted to UNF. Then, you will receive an e-mail
admission letter that you can forward to ACM. Be sure to apply
early to UNF so that you have time to process your ACM before you
enroll.
-
What is the
philosophy on which your program is based?
philosophy
-
Who should I
contact for more information?
Admission
questions may be directed to Ms. Kiersten Jarvis, Admissions
Coordinator in the Graduate School (kiersten.jarvis@unf.edu).
Programmatic questions may be addressed to Dr. Sherry Shaw at sherry.shaw@unf.edu.
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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.
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