2025 ASL/English Interpreting Option Cohort

Admission Requirements

If you are interested in applying to our BA Option, you must be a current student or a transfer student- offered admission by the university, and accept that offer, then follow the guidelines posted below.  Submissions are reviewed in April and May.  Selective invitations to the interview occur in May/June, and notification of acceptance is sent out in June and July

  • Students must be current/continuing CSULB students or have been notified by the university of acceptance for the Fall 2024 semester
  • Transfer students must accept admission to CSULB for fall 25 before the committee will screen their application
  • Have successfully completed the lower division course requirements listed below or have notified us of extenuating circumstances
    • ASLD 101 (ASL 1) with a grade C or better;
    • ASLD 102 (ASL 2) with a grade C or better;
    • ANTH/LING 170 (Introduction to Linguistics) with a grade of C or better;
    • ASLD 124 (American Deaf Cultures) with a grade of C or better;
    • ASLD 201 (ASL 3) with a grade of C or better;
    • ASLD 202 (ASL 4) with a grade of C or better;
    • ASLD 211 (Beg. Interpreting 1- History of the profession and ethics) with a grade of C or better; (if you have not taken this, you can take it here if accepted into the program)
    • ASLD 212 (Beg. Interpreting 2- Cognitive Processing for interpreters) with a grade of C or better. (if you have not taken this, you can take it here if accepted into the program)

Application Instructions

Incomplete application submissions will not be accepted. However, if you are having to wait for letters of recommendation, please still apply and email asl@csulb.edu so that we can consider that in your submission.

Fill out the application form and upload all materials to – Interpreting Cohort Application (don’t click until all your materials are ready to upload)

  • Letter of Intent– let us know why you want to be an interpreter, what your involvement is in deaf community, and why you chose this program. This should be no longer than 2 pages 
  • Two letters of recommendation – These letters are to be from deaf community members (one must be deaf/hard of hearing; can be instructors, interpreters, employers, etc.) who can attest to your signing skills and commitment to the Deaf community
  • Unofficial transcript- from any institution you took your ASL courses at- unless you took them all at CSULB. 
  • Video submitted via YouTube* – submit a two to three minute narrative video in ASL telling us about a memorable ASL/Deaf Community experience that you have had. This should exemplify your signing skill and connection to the Deaf Community. See recording instructions below
  • For current CSULB students all materials are due by April 11, 2025
  • For transfer students all materials are due by May 2, 2025

Instructions on how to save and title your YouTube video:

  1. Login to your YouTube account or create an account. Create your video in YouTube or upload your video. 
  2. Title your video as follows: Last name, First name – ASLD Option Video Background information. Leave the description and tag information blank. Set the privacy settings to “Unlisted,” and Save it. 
  3. Upload it to the link in the cohort application 

Links for YouTube troubleshooting:

https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/157177?hl=en&topic=16647&ctx=topic

What’s next?
  • We will begin to screen candidates who have accepted the university’s offer of admission and submitted complete packet as soon as we receive them
  • After the screening is completed, those students selected to interview will be notified by email   
  • Face to face interviews will be conducted in June