ASL Certificate

The University of Pittsburgh Department of Linguistics offers an undergraduate certificate in American Sign Language (ASL) Studies. The certificate program could conveniently accompany several undergraduate majors including, but not limited to, Linguistics, Communication Science and Disorders, and Education. Students who are interested in the ASL Studies Certificate must apply for entrance into that certificate program. The application opens on the first day of spring semester classes and closes the last Friday in February. Please submit your application as soon as you are able to within this window. The earlier you submit your application, the better your chances of admittance into the certificate program.

Currently, there is a limit of 40 students per academic year who can enroll in the ASL Certificate Program. For this reason, each applicant will be required to go through an evaluation process. Please contact our ASL Coordinator, Debra Hast, with questions (CL 2809C, dlhast@pitt.edu).

Applicants: 

In order for your application to be complete, we have provided a checklist of what you need to submit:

  • Verify you have taken (or are currently enrolled in) the prerequisite courses for the ASL certificate (ASL 0101-ASL 0104) and that you have attained a final grade of "B" or higher in each of these prerequisite courses
  • Complete the Online Application >>
  • Submit a digital copy of your undergraduate transcript to Deb Hast, (dlhast@pitt.edu)
  • Email your ASL professor and ask them to submit a recommendation letter to Deb Hast, coordinator
  • Submit a 2-minute digital movie displaying your signing skills. The movie should be uploaded to OneDrive and shared with Deb Hast (dlhast@pitt.edu). In the movie, you should describe the place where you grew up, and a memorable experience from your childhood. The segment must include fingerspelling and numbers. 
  • Schedule a meeting with ASL Coordinator, Deb Hast (dlhast@pitt.edu) This meeting must occur between the first day of the spring semester and the last Friday of February. At this meeting, you will be asked to take a written test on Deaf Culture. 

Accepted Students:

Once you are accepted into the ASL certificate program:

  • You will receive a letter of acceptance once you formally accept the opportunity to pursue the certificate. The ASL Coordinator will submit your name to Arts & Sciences at Thackeray Hall to show that you were accepted and this will allow you to register for upper-level ASL classes.