Program: ASL.COA - Certificate of Achievement
Middlesex County College offers a Certificate of Achievement in American Sign Language (ASL) which requires the completion of six courses for a total of 18 credit hours. In three of those courses, students will learn ASL up to an intermediate level. In addition, they will take three other courses that will develop a greater understanding of the Deaf community and culture, as well as exploring the diversity of language and communication modes.
Graduates of the Program will be able to:
Recommended Course Sequence
Below are required courses and recommended course groupings and sequences for program completion. Courses may have prerequisite and corequisite requirements. Check course descriptions for details.
Contact Name: Dr. Gary Abbott, department chair
Contact Phone: 732.906.2529
Contact Email: GAbbott@middlesexcc.edu or ESLC@middlesexcc.edu
Department Web: https://www.middlesexcc.edu/esl-languages-and-cultures/
Recently, there has been an increased effort to make classrooms, the work place, health care facilities, and social and cultural events accessible to the Deaf. As a result, schools, businesses, hospitals, theaters, and museums, for example, are more and more interested in employing people who can sign and who are sensitive to the needs of the Deaf community. Earning the ASL Certificate of Achievement can be an attractive credential for many employers. In addition, knowing ASL allows people to make new friends and enhances cross-cultural understanding. Because it is more visual, ASL will also strengthen and enhance one’s mental flexibility.
No. This certificate will give you a solid foundation for further studies in ASL, but you will need to continue your studies in an ASL Interpreter training program. You would then need to take the exams through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). For more information on RID, please visit their website: http://rid.org/rid-certification-overview/
Only the three signing courses, ASL 121, ASL 122, and ASL 221 require students to sign. The other three ASL 223 Deaf Culture and History, LNC 123 Introduction to the Study of Human Language, and COM 115 Intercultural Communication are taught in spoken English.