American Sign Language

Area of Study: American Sign Language 
Degree/Certificate: Associate of Arts degree in American Sign Language
Academic School: Liberal Arts and Sciences

No new students will be accepted in the program after Aug. 21, 2026, for Academic Year 2026-2027. Current students should reach out to an academic counselor to create an academic plan to complete their remaining American Sign Language courses. Students interested in this program, please see the Associate of Arts degree.

The Associate of Arts degree in American Sign Language is designed to prepare students to transfer to a four year program in American Sign Language/English Interpreting, or for students who plan to enter another field in which they would work with Deaf people on a regular basis, such as in the medical, educational, early childhood, vocational rehabilitation, and social work settings, or other community agencies. 

This program has two areas of focus:

• The study of Deaf Culture and community and its social norms and rules of social interactions; and
• Principles of receptive and expressive ASL to include vocabulary, sign parameters, grammar structure and syntax, semantics and pragmatics while incorporating culturally appropriate body posture, hand gestures and facial expressions.