American Sign Language Interpreting Studies (BS)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2025-Spring 2026 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Bachelor of Science in American Sign Language Interpreting Studies
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: Classical and Modern Languages 
Academic Plan Code(s): ASLIBS

Program Information

UofL’s American Sign Language Interpreting Studies (ASLIS) program provides students the training needed to function as qualified interpreters. This includes learning ASL, understanding the basics of ASL linguistics, Deaf history and culture, and the fundamentals of the interpreting process. We emphasize communicative and cultural competency as well as critical thinking abilities that can be used in both academic and non-academic careers.

Completion of this degree requires work to be submitted for the department’s Learning Outcomes Measurement. For details, contact the department.

Degree Summary

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Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. See the Degree Requirements tab for specific coursework.

Specific coursework information can be found on the Degree Requirements tab.

Departmental Admission Requirements

Admission to the BS in ASLIS not automatic.  Entry requires functional fluency in ASL and basic interpreting competencies, a minimum overall GPA of 2.25, and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in ASL and ITP courses.  The final exam in ITP 220 also serves as part of the ASLIS screening process for entry into the major.  Once accepted into the major, students need to work closely with their advisor.  Seniors are required to complete roughly 450 hours in an advanced interpreting practicum.  For more details, contact the Department.

The Change Major Request form can be found under the Academic Progress tile on ULink.

General Education Requirements

*All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

College/School Requirements

Program/Major Requirements

At least 50 of the total minimum hours required must be at the 300 level or above. 

¹

Completion of the second semester of a single foreign language; hours will vary depending on the language taken.

²

In addition to courses counted toward General Education.

³

May be incorporated into the other degree requirements.

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The final exam in ITP 220 is part of the ASLIS screening process, which determines a student’s eligibility to enter the program in the following fall.

Flight Plan

The Flight Plan outlined above is intended to demonstrate one possible path to completing the degree within four years.  Course selection and placement within the program may vary depending on course offerings and schedule, elective preferences, and other factors (study abroad, internship availability, etc.). Please consult your advisor for additional information about building a flight plan that works for you.

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan, and which requirements are still outstanding. Degree audits also take transfer credits and test credits into account. "What-if" reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

Flight Planner
The Flight Planner tool is available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan to graduation.  Advisors have access to review your Flight Planner and can help you adjust it to ensure you remain on track to graduate in a timely manner.

To create these reports:

1. Log into your ULink account.
2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
3. Select the appropriate report.
   1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
   2. To create a What-if report, click on "What-if Advisement Report."
   3. To run a Flight Planner report, click on "Use My Flight Planner."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report, create a What-if report, or run a Flight Planner report.