American Sign Language (ASL) English Interpretation (Bachelor’s) – UNC Extended Campus

Degree Details

  • This bachelor’s degree is a 120 credit (73 credits within the major + plus university-wide
    course requirements) program requiring 11 consecutive semesters (fall, spring, and
    summer) to complete. The interpreting courses are sequenced and offered once per year,
    so if you need all 80 credits of ASL & INTR courses, it will take the full 11 terms
    to complete the program.
  • If your ASL competency places you above ASL V and you have transferable courses within
    the major, you may be able to complete the program in less than four years. If you
    are a working interpreter holding interpreting credentials (RID, ED:K-12, or 4.0+
    on the EIPA performance and passed the EIPA written) and have 21 or more LAC credits to transfer in (see below), the most common entry point is Intro to Consecutive Interpreting: Skill
    Development in the summer of Year 2. This entry point may allow you to complete the
    program in as few as seven semesters.
  • Upon being accepted into the program, you will be assigned an advisor who will assist
    you in determining your personalized plan of study based on your ASL competency and
    any credits being transferred in to UNC.
  • Year 1 and 2 focus on developing your ASL and English skills.
  • Year 3 and 4 focus on developing your interpreting skills.
  • You must pass all major courses (INTR course prefixes) with a B or better.

Year-Round Mostly Online Program

  • Online Courses in Fall and Spring: ASLEI courses are fully online in the fall and spring semesters. You will participate
    in structured courses using an online learning management system with assignments
    and due dates. The time of day you do coursework is up to you as long as your work
    and your interactions with peers and staff are completed on time.
  • Hybrid Courses in Summer: Additionally, you will take accelerated hybrid ASLEI courses in the summers. This
    consists of two weeks online in June followed by four weeks on campus in Greeley,
    CO. You will take 6-7 credits providing intensive language, knowledge, and/or interpreting
    preparation. While on campus during the summer semester, you will be in face-to-face
    classes from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM on weekdays with daily and weekend assignments.
  • All on campus and online students will receive an annual Summer Logistics Packet providing
    information on traveling to Colorado and UNC, on campus accommodations, and other
    resources to help you plan a four week on-campus visit. Most out-of-state students
    stay in one of UNC’s residence halls (approximately $1,000 for the month) and purchase
    a meal plan through dining services. 

Courses and Requirements for Graduation

This UNC bachelor’s degree program requires 120 total credit hours. For full program
requirement details, see the official program listing in the UNC Undergraduate Catalog.

ASLEI Program and Overall Plan of Study

  • Example 4-year plan of study
  • To see the upcoming courses in the ASLEI program, visit this program’s Current Students page.

  • See the Eligibility & Transfer Credit tab for details about transferring your previous
    college credit, including the LAC coursework.

Liberal Arts Curriculum (LAC) Coursework

UNC’s Liberal Arts Curriculum provides students with a grounding in the liberal arts
that is infused with critical and creative inquiry, and which also satisfies the six
general education areas required for undergraduate degree programs at all public higher
education institutions in the state of Colorado.

Many of these courses will potentially be fulfilled from your transferred credit.

View the current LAC requirements and policies. Course requirements by category (with links to list of eligible courses)  are available
at the bottom of the page.

Waiver of Liberal Arts Curriculum Requirements

Individuals with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or a Bachelor’s degree
(regardless of date of completion) from a regionally accredited institution will have
their Liberal Arts Curriculum requirements waived. See the Undergraduate Catalog for
more information about LAC waiver and transfer evaluation policies.

Taking Prerequisite or LAC Courses Online

If you are missing any of this coursework:

  • The UNC Course Search – use the “Go to schedule of classes” button (many LAC course offerings are during
    Summer sessions; UNC does not currently have online LAC courses in the following subjects:
    Math, and Science with lab).
  • The Colorado Department of Higher Education lists public Colorado universities that offer distance learning courses.
  • You can also search for online courses at Colorado Community Colleges Online.

Admission Requirements

  • You must meet the UNC undergraduate admission requirements for the academic year for
    which you are applying. See the UNC Catalog for current admission requirements.

  • In order to be accepted into this program, you must display proficiency in ASL I-IV.
    Specifically: 2 years of ASL as a foreign language in high school or 2 years ASL (4 classes; ASL 1-4) on a college transcript and/or life experience. (A Deaf culture course may also be helpful depending on how your
    ASL competencies are acquired.)

    • As part of the application process, you will demonstrate your ASL competency through
      the Demonstration of Competency screening (or designated alternative pathway) to ensure
      you are ready for the advanced ASL coursework.

    • Please note: UNC offers ASL I-IV. Visit the Department of ASLIS ASL intro courses page to see when the courses are available.

  • You may also want to view the minimum technical requirements for online courses.

Eligibility by State

At this time, UNC can serve online education to students from every state, the U.S.
Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. We are not currently accepting students to our online
programs who reside in the CNMIs.

Because some states may have additional requirements or limitations for certain programs,
please check the following page to verify your eligibility. Note: if your state is
showing “limited authorization” it means you are likely eligible with additional documentation,
but please contact lisa.grimes@unco.edu for details.

Current State Authorizations for This Program

International Student Eligibility

International students residing outside of the United States are eligible to apply
to our online programs. Applicants for online programs must demonstrate English proficiency,
or enroll in the UNC Intensive English Program, in order to be considered.

This program requires occasional visits to the United States. You will need to submit
financial documentation before you plan to arrive in the U.S. (and again each time
you travel to the U.S.). The financial documentation needs to demonstrate that you
can pay for the cost of tuition and living expenses for the days that you will be
in the U.S.

Please visit the International Students Admission Requirements page for details about English proficiency requirements, financial documentation and applying
as an international student.

Transferring Credit

Transferring Interpreting Coursework

Given the reality of transferring classes across programs from different institutions,
it’s unlikely that all of your sign language and interpreting courses will count towards
the 80 credits needed within the major.

For example, the ASLIS department will not accept the following courses for the ASLEI
program:

  • Deaf Culture/Community
  • Manually Coded English
  • 200 level internship experiences

UNC Transfer Policies

Students are considered transfer students if they have completed any college-level
coursework after completing high school. As part of your UNC application, you will
need to submit official transcripts from all institutions attended.

Please visit the Transfer of Credits pages on the UNC Office of the Registrar website for information about:

  • How many credits can transfer
  • Requirements of credits transferred, such as your earned grade and institutional accreditation
  • The transfer evaluation process
  • Transferology – this service allows you to view our published course equivalencies for your previous
    courses. This can be done for free before you apply to UNC.
  • For those students who have taken or are taking supporting courses at a Colorado public
    two-year institution, see the Transfer Articulation Guides.

Tuition

This is an Extended Campus program, which means:

  • A flat per-credit tuition rate for all students (in-state or out-of-state)
  • There are no student fees – they are incorporated into our flat tuition rate
  • Certain courses may carry specific course fees for additional services and materials

Program tuition for the 2022-23 academic year (which runs Fall, Spring, and Summer
terms) is $457 per credit hour. Tuition for the 2023-24 academic year will be determined
mid-June 2023.

Instructional materials will vary by course, but will average approximately $150 per
course over the life of the program.

Financial Aid

Students who cannot pay for tuition alone are encouraged to apply for federal financial
aid. Students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The FAFSA priority filing date for each academic year (a Fall-Spring-Summer cycle
which begins each August) is March 1, although the form is now available by October
1 of the previous year and requests tax information from the year prior. For example,
the FAFSA form for aid for the 2022-23 school year is released on Oct. 1, 2021, and
is based off of 2020 tax return information.

Late submissions of the FAFSA are still accepted throughout the school year but you
may not be considered for the maximum amount of aid. If the March priority deadline
has passed for the upcoming/current school year, we encourage you to apply for FAFSA
consideration as soon as you enroll for your first courses. Depending on the time
of year, you may be able to submit an application for the current academic year and
an early/priority application for the following academic year.

Bachelor’s students must be enrolled in in a minimum of 6 credits per academic term for financial aid eligibility. Full time
enrollment is based on 12 credits per term.

To apply for federal financial aid assistance

Fill out the FAFSA form at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa 

For more specific help, contact the Office of Financial Aid: ofa@unco.edu, 970-351-4862 or via the UNC Financial Aid website.

Students can also find helpful information such as the Guide to Federal Student Aid
at https://studentaid.gov/resources. Most of the resources are available in English, Spanish, and Braille.

Student Health Insurance

The University of Northern Colorado offers a Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)
to all degree-seeking students who enroll in courses on our main UNC Campus, an Extended
Campus Center, or Online.

Degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled in 9 or more credit hours will automatically
receive this benefit each term. SHIP premiums will appear on your semester bill. If
you have comparable insurance coverage, and do not want to be charged for SHIP coverage,
you must opt out of this plan each Fall via an online waiver process.

Please visit the UNC Student Health Insurance pages for more information about the insurance plan.