ITP classes are taught in ASL. You must receive a grade of “B-” or better in each class while in the ITP. Classes in which a “C+” or lower is earned will not be accepted and you will be unable to take further ITP classes until the grade can be improved. Classes are offered during the day and students progress throughout the program in a cohort, a group of students at the same level in the program. The program is designed to enable you to acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to prepare you to take either the Utah State Certification Exam, Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) or the National Interpreter Certification Exam. ITP classes are not ASL classes, but instead focus on the skills and information needed for interpreting, such as information processing, memory, cultural mediation and a study of the linguistic features of ASL and English.

To apply for the Interpreting program, students must complete the following program courses by the end of the Summer semester prior to classes beginning in Fall semester:

• ASL 2010- Intermediate ASL I
• ASL 2020- Intermediate ASL II
• ENGL 2010- Intermediate Writing (EN)
• THEA 1033 (FA) Acting I – Basic Acting
• COMM 2150- Intercultural Communication (CM,DV)
• INTR 1000- Introduction to Interpreting

For each of these courses, students must receive a grade of B- or better, and the ASL courses must have been completed within the last two years.

Applications may be submitted when all prerequisite courses have been completed and final grades are posted. Students who are completing the last of their prerequisite coursework during the Summer semester may submit their application after the last day to drop classes.

Senior Citizen audit status is not available for selective admission programs such as the ASL/English Interpreter Training Program. For more information regarding senior citizen enrollment click here.

Priority deadline will be July 1st of every year. Courses for students accepted into the program begin each Fall semester.

Students that have a prior knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) may sit for the ASL Placement Interview, which is a 30-minute (or less) interview that will assess conversational ASL skills for the purpose of placement into the correct ASL course level. College credit will not be given for any course(s) bypassed. For more info please see our ASL Placement Interview Page.

In order to become nationally certified, individuals must have a Bachelor’s degree or 120 college total credits to sit for the national certification exam. To obtain certification in the state of Utah, there is no requirement for a degree.

If you have met all of the program prerequisites, the American Sign Language Interpreter Training Program takes two years to complete. Each semester acts as prerequisite to the next semester, so ITP courses must be taken in a prescribed order. For new students of ASL, the entire program can be completed in nine semesters. General education courses should be planned carefully with an advisor in order to graduate in a specified time period.

The program is designed to be completed while attending full-time. Many courses are only offered once each year and to be taken consecutively with other program courses. For students who have already completed all general education requirements, the number of credit hours required each semester would be reduced. Please contact the department for help in planning your schedule.

Currently we only offer a day-time program. Students can plan on being in classes Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-10 a.m.. or 10 a.m.-12 p.m. During the final semester of the program, students participate in a 150 hour Internship II class and will need to be available Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Yes! Because of the passage of legislation, employers, governmental agencies, public service providers, medical facilities, and businesses are now responsible to provide and pay for qualified interpreters if Deaf individuals need and request such services. As a result, the demand for qualified interpreters has grown tremendously in recent years.The largest need is in educational settings.

Career opportunities for American Sign Language interpreters exist in the fields of education, business, employment, social services, mass media, finance, medical care, mental health, legal aid, law enforcement, religion, recreation, video relay and the arts.

The Utah State Interpreting Law went into effect July 1994. This law requires all interpreters to pass the Utah State Certification exam, the National Interpreter Certification exam or the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment exam in order to work as an interpreter. There are two levels of Utah certification, Novice and Professional. Working as an interpreter in Utah without certification constitutes a Class B Misdemeanor. For more information regarding Utah certification laws or procedures, contact Utah Interpreter Program (UIP) at uip@utah.gov.

Yes, if the course work is equivalent. ASL 2020 (Intermediate ASL II) must have been completed within the past two years.