Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
American Sign Language
Colleges award this field under 4 named programs, from American Sign Language (ASL) to American Sign Language, Other.
Inside the major
Programs within this field
Colleges may offer this field under 4 more specific program names. The program you choose affects the courses you take.
- American Sign Language (ASL)
- Focuses on American Sign Language as a visual and motor medium of communication and discourse for deaf individuals and deaf culture. Covers the development of ASL, ASL morphology and syntax, signing technique, English translation of ASL, formal and colloquial ASL, and ASL transcription.
- Linguistics of ASL and Other Sign Languages
- Focuses on the scientific and scholarly study of the development, structure, and use of American Sign Language (ASL) and other visual signed languages, both as vehicles for communication within the deaf community and in relation to spoken and written languages. Covers cognitive linguistics; ASL and sign language phonology, syntax, and morphology; sociolinguistics of the deaf community; comparative linguistics; and studies of specific sign languages, including, but not limited to, ASL, Auslan (Australian Sign Language), LSF (French Sign Language), Shuwa jiten (Japanese Sign Language), HamNoSys (German Sign Language), and Gestuno.
- Sign Language Interpretation and Translation
- Prepares you to function as simultaneous interpreters of American Sign Language
- American Sign Language, Other
- Focuses on American Sign Language as a communication medium or language skill that is not listed above.
Where it can lead
Careers this field can lead to
Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.
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- Median pay
- $72,040
- Hiring change through 2035
- −0.2%
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To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyInterpreters and Translators
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- $60,170
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.0%
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Explore this career Growing with the economyPostsecondary Teachers, All Other
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- $77,640
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.0%
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To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this career Growing slowlyForeign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $79,350
- Hiring change through 2035
- 0.2%
- Job openings a year
- 1,600
To get hiredDoctoral or professional degree
Explore this careerAll work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $31,687 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.
Working style
How and where the work happens
Related careers can feel very different from one another. Compare the specific occupations to understand the work each one involves.
Most careers connected to this field involve in-person work. About 76 of every 100 openings require working close to other people or spending time on your feet.
College options
Where to study it
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