Skip to main content
California State University, Fresno

Campus: Home | Directory | Search

Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Studies

Home | About | Students | Policies & Forms | Faculty & Staff | Alumni

What Is Deaf Studies?

Students pursuing Deaf Studies are interested in the areas of language, community, culture, and challenges of deaf and hard of hearing children, youth, and adults. Deaf Studies as a university discipline is rather new and continues to gain respect for our deaf and hard of hearing populations.

As Deaf Studies majors face career choices, our students study, appreciate and reflect on issues that specific populations face in one of their three options: Deaf Education, Interpreter Education and ASL Instruction.

Majors in Deaf Education are primarily interested in teaching deaf and hard of hearing children. At the BA level they establish a liberal arts foundation, integrated with courses designed to provide a basic understanding of these children and teaching principles. Many students continue to pursue an MA degree and teaching credentials required for full employment in classroom teaching. Others continue their education in other fields, such as: Rehabilitation Counseling, Social Work, and other Health Services.

At the MA level students majoring in Deaf Education take graduate and credential coursework as part of their preparation to teach in classrooms for deaf and hard of hearing children.

The BA degree in Interpreter Education provides full preparation for career opportunities as sign language interpreters in various professional settings, such as artistic, educational, health, legal, medical, mental health, rehabilitation, relay work and social services settings.

The curriculum leading to a BA degree in American Sign Language Instruction along with the single subject credential coursework through the School of Education on campus is designed to provide students a professional career in teaching American Sign Language full-time in the public schools.

The Deaf Studies curriculum offers many opportunities and great flexibility to students interested in understanding, appreciating and working with the deaf and hard of hearing populations.