---

Other American Sign Language

Types of Degrees Other American Sign Language Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Other American Sign Language can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	2

What Other American Sign Language Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Other American Sign Language emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Other American Sign Language graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Other American Sign Language emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Foreign Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Other American Sign Language program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Other American Sign Language careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Other American Sign Language graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.7 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	3.9 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.8 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.8 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Other American Sign Language professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Babylon Online Translator	Foreign language software	—
OmegaT	Foreign language software	—
Electronic dictionaries	Dictionary software	—
Intrado SchoolMessenger	Mobile messaging service software	—
Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software	Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software	—
Smart Link Corporation ImTranslator	Foreign language software	—
AceTools.biz Ace Translator	Foreign language software	—
Adapt It	Foreign language software	—
Google Translate Client	Foreign language software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Language Engineering Corporation Translate Pro	Foreign language software	—
DocTranslate	Foreign language software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Other American Sign Language graduates include:

• American Sign Language Interpreter (ASL Interpreter)
• Braille Transcriber
• Contract Translator
• Vietnamese Interpreter
• Foreign Language Interpreter
• Interpreter
• Spanish Translator
• Community Interpreter
• School Sign Language Interpreter
• Spanish Analytic Linguist
• Linguist
• Legal Translator
• English Translator
• Farsi Linguist
• Arabic Translator

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Other American Sign Language graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	54.7%
Master’s degree	27.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	8.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.4%
Post-master’s certificate	3.7%
Postsecondary certificate	1.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Other American Sign Language?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 100% of Other American Sign Language degrees.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Other American Sign Language graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2	100.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Other American Sign Language Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Other American Sign Language graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$36,601
4 years	$38,080
5 years	$43,723

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $43,723 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Other American Sign Language Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Other American Sign Language graduates earn a median of $38,080 four years after completion — essentially in line with the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
American Sign Language	16.16
American Sign Language (ASL)	16.1601
Linguistics of ASL and Other Sign Languages	16.1602
Sign Language Interpretation and Translation	16.1603
African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.0201
Albanian Language and Literature	16.0404
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1001
Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1103
Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature	16.1202
Applied Linguistics	16.0105
Arabic Language and Literature	16.1101
Armenian Language and Literature	16.1801

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.