Program overview
The master of science in health care interpretation is designed to meet the demand for nationally-certified sign language interpreters who wish to work in health care environments.
Health care interpreters work in various health care settings where hearing people and deaf or hard-of-hearing people need to interact and communicate. Interpreters may assist deaf patients and their families in understanding medical testing, treatments, and diagnoses; facilitate communication for deaf health care professionals with colleagues and patients; and/or provide interpretation for deaf individuals who are enrolled in health care-related degree programs or training courses designed to educate and prepare them for careers in health care-related professions. This unique program also prepares interpreters to work in administrative roles ensuring language access to patients in hospital settings. Successful completion of this program could lead to employment as a sign language health care interpreter and/or a language access coordinator of sign and spoken language interpreting services in one of the most important new fields of health care.
The program may be completed on a full- or part-time basis.
Curriculum
Health care interpretation, MS degree, typical course sequence:
First Year
-Professional Seminar (summer)
-Human Body Systems/Diseases I (summer)
-Theories of Translation and Interpretation (summer) 3
-Health Care Practical Interpreting I
-Human Body Systems/Diseases II
-Research Methods
-Health Care Practical Interpreting II
-Health Care Governance and Economics
-Human Resources in Health Care
Second Year
-Health Care Interpreting Within a Diverse Deaf Community (summer)
-Capstone Professional Project or Research Paper (summer)
Other admission requirements
-Submit an ASL interpretation sample (audio/video file or text translation will be provided).
-Submit two letters of reference from individuals who have had the opportunity to observe the applicant's interpreting work.
-Submit official transcripts (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work.
-Submit a completed graduate application.
-Submit a personal statement describing the applicant's educational objectives.
-Provide proof of completion of a course in medical terminology. (This is required after admission to the program is offered. The course must be completed prior to the beginning of the summer session. This $99 self-paced online course is called Language of Medicine.)
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