Deaf Interpreter Preparation

The Certificate of Completion (CCL) in Deaf Interpreter Preparation is designed to emphasize skills in American Sign Language (ASL), English, Deaf culture, intercultural communication, and professional behavior for interpreters who are Deaf. Additionally, theoretical and practical training in interpreting prepares students to meet Arizona* licensure requirements and/or sit for the following exams: the Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI), and the written portion of the National Interpreter Certification (NIC Knowledge exam) of the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID), the other two portions of which can be completed upon attainment of a bachelors degree. An Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree is also available.

*May apply to other states' requirements.

This program is designed to meet education requirements for licensure or certification in the State of Arizona. Granting licensure and certification is the sole responsibility of the state board or approval agency. This program is only offered and available to students located in the State of Arizona. The Maricopa County Community College District and colleges define student location within Administrative Regulation 2.2.3(7).

Details

Field of Interest

Culture and Society

Degree Type

Certificate of Completion (CCL)

Academic Plan

Deaf Interpreter Preparation (CER)

Academic Plan Code

5400

Total credits required

32-44

Catalog Year

2026-2027

Effective Term

Fall 2026

Admission criteria

Students must have a high school diploma, or GED, or equivalent.

Acceptance into the program requires demonstration of fluency in both English and American Sign Language.

Program Application fee (nonrefundable) supports actual cost for the Sign Language Proficiency Interview. A receipt from the Phoenix College Student Business Services Office is required.

The exit criteria of successful completion of capstone skills courses (IPP221, and IPP230AA) with a B or better will be required and documented for graduation.

Notes

Admission into the Interpreter Preparation Program is available to a limited number of applicants. Applicants are required to meet with the Deaf Studies program director for screening

Students must earn a grade of B or better in ASL203, ASL204, ASL212, IPP205, IPP207, IPP211, IPP215, IPP218, IPP220, IPP221, and IPP230AA to graduate. Students must earn a grade of C or better in all remaining courses within the program.

Students intending to transfer are strongly encouraged to meet with an academic and faculty advisor once they have selected their transfer institution to ensure all requirements for achieving junior standing are satisfied.

This program is specifically for individuals who are deaf and pursing career and workforce opportunities in the field of Interpreting. Certification and licensure are also available to those seeking this specialized type of interpretation.

What You'll Learn

Apply the rich cultural and historical knowledge of the deaf community to the practice of interpreting.
Demonstrate competency in both English and American Sign Language (ASL) essential to effective interpretation.
Apply ethical decision making following professional standards, practices, regulations and laws.
Practice interpersonal competencies that foster effective communication and productive collaboration with colleagues, consumers and employers.
Apply world knowledge, interpreting theory, and language skills to create ASL to English and English to ASL interpretation for a variety of situations including authentic, supervised work experience.
Employ self and peer assessment to improve the effectiveness of interpretation.

Career Statistics

Successful completion of this certificate may lead to employment in a variety of different occupations and industries. Below are examples of related occupations with associated Arizona-based wages* for this certificate. Education requirements vary for the occupations listed below, so you may need further education or degrees in order to qualify for some of these jobs and earn the related salaries. Please visit with an academic advisor and/or program director for additional information. You can click on any occupation to view the detail regarding education level, wages, and employment information.

Interpreters and Translators

$37,840

* Career and wage information provided by Pipeline AZ using data, reports, and forecasts which are generated using government data sources. Sources

Course Sequence by Term

The following is the suggested course sequence by term. Please keep in mind:

Students should meet with an academic advisor to develop an individual education plan that meets their academic and career goals. Use the Degree Progress Report Tool in your Student Center to manage your plan.
The course sequence is laid out by suggested term and may be affected when students enter the program at different times of the year.
Initial course placement is determined by current district placement measures and/or completion of 100-200 level course and/or program requirements.
Degree and transfer seeking students may be required to successfully complete a MCCCD First Year Experience Course (FYE) within the first two semesters at a MCCCD College. Courses include FYE101 and FYE103. Course offerings will vary by college. See an academic, program, or faculty advisor for details.

Full-time
Part-time

Full-time Sequence

Full-time status is 12 credits to 18 credits per semester.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Credits
ASL200	Issues and Resources	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL102 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	3
ASL203	American Sign Language V	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL202. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	4
ASL204	Comparative Linguistics: ASL/English	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL202. Corequisites: ASL203. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	3
IPP205	Introduction to Interpreting	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL201 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	3
IPP207	Ethics and Decision Making for ASL/English Interpreters	Prerequisites: ASL201 or permission of Department or Division. Prerequisites or Corequisites: IPP205 or permission of Program Director. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	2

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Area	Credits
ASL212	Deaf Culture	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL202 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	C	3
IPP198	Careers in Deaf Studies: Observation	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in IPP205 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.		1
IPP211	Preparation for Interpreting	Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program or permission of Department or Division.		1
IPP215	ASL to English Consecutive Interpreting	Prerequisites: (Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program or permission of Department or Division) and IPP211 with a grade of "B" or better.		2
IPP218	English to ASL Consecutive Interpreting	Prerequisites: (Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program or permission of Department or Division) and IPP211 with a grade of "B" or better. IPP215 suggested but not required.		2
IPP220	Interactive Interpreting I	Prerequisites: A grade of B or better in IPP211 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.		3

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Credits
IPP221	Interactive Interpreting II	Prerequisites: A grade of B or better in IPP220, and permission of Program Director. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	3
IPP229	Interpreter Preparation Internship Seminar	Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program and/or program director approval. Corequisites: IPP230AA or IPP230AB.	1
IPP230AA	Interpreter Preparation Program Internship	Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program and Program Director approval. Corequisites: IPP229.	1

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Notes	Area	Credits
Restricted Electives					0–12

Program Electives

A list of additional, alternative, or supplemental courses for this pathway map
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Credits
ASL101	American Sign Language I		4
ASL102	American Sign Language II	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL101 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	4
ASL201	American Sign Language III	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL102 or permission of Department or Division. ENG101 or ENG107 and CRE101 or equivalent as indicated by assessment suggested but not required. Completion of prerequisites within the last 3 years is required.	4
ASL202	American Sign Language IV	Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ASL201 or permission of Department or Division. ENG101 or ENG107, ASL200 and CRE101 or equivalent as indicated by assessment suggested but not required. Completion of prerequisites within the last 3 yrs is required.	4

Part-time Sequence

Part-time status is 11 credit hours or less.

Term 1

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 1
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Credits
ASL200	Issues and Resources	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL102 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	3
ASL203	American Sign Language V	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL202. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	4
IPP205	Introduction to Interpreting	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL201 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	3

Term 2

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 2
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Area	Credits
ASL204	Comparative Linguistics: ASL/English	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL202. Corequisites: ASL203. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.		3
ASL212	Deaf Culture	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL202 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	C	3
IPP198	Careers in Deaf Studies: Observation	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in IPP205 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.		1
IPP207	Ethics and Decision Making for ASL/English Interpreters	Prerequisites: ASL201 or permission of Department or Division. Prerequisites or Corequisites: IPP205 or permission of Program Director. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.		2

Term 3

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 3
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Credits
IPP211	Preparation for Interpreting	Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program or permission of Department or Division.	1
IPP215	ASL to English Consecutive Interpreting	Prerequisites: (Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program or permission of Department or Division) and IPP211 with a grade of "B" or better.	2
IPP218	English to ASL Consecutive Interpreting	Prerequisites: (Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program or permission of Department or Division) and IPP211 with a grade of "B" or better. IPP215 suggested but not required.	2
IPP220	Interactive Interpreting I	Prerequisites: A grade of B or better in IPP211 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	3

Term 4

A sequence of suggested courses that should be taken during Term 4
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Credits
IPP221	Interactive Interpreting II	Prerequisites: A grade of B or better in IPP220, and permission of Program Director. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	3
IPP229	Interpreter Preparation Internship Seminar	Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program and/or program director approval. Corequisites: IPP230AA or IPP230AB.	1
IPP230AA	Interpreter Preparation Program Internship	Prerequisites: Acceptance into the Interpreter Preparation Program and Program Director approval. Corequisites: IPP229.	1
Restricted Electives			0–12

Program Electives

A list of additional, alternative, or supplemental courses for this pathway map
Course Number	Course Name	Requisites	Credits
ASL101	American Sign Language I		4
ASL102	American Sign Language II	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL101 or permission of Department or Division. Completion of prerequisites within the last three years is required.	4
ASL201	American Sign Language III	Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in ASL102 or permission of Department or Division. ENG101 or ENG107 and CRE101 or equivalent as indicated by assessment suggested but not required. Completion of prerequisites within the last 3 years is required.	4
ASL202	American Sign Language IV	Prerequisites: Grade of C or better in ASL201 or permission of Department or Division. ENG101 or ENG107, ASL200 and CRE101 or equivalent as indicated by assessment suggested but not required. Completion of prerequisites within the last 3 yrs is required.	4

Course Area Key

C = Cultural Diversity in the US

Disclaimer

Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses within the program.

Course Sequence total credits may differ from the program information located on the MCCCD curriculum website due to program and system design.

View MCCCD’s official curriculum documentation for additional details regarding the requirements of this award at https://aztransmac2.asu.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MCCCD.woa/wa/freeForm11?id=16459315.

At Maricopa, we strive to provide you with accurate and current information about our degree and certificate offerings. Due to the dynamic nature of the curriculum process, course and program information is subject to change. As a result, the course list associated with this degree or certificate on this site does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If you are interested in pursuing this degree or certificate, we encourage you to meet with an advisor to discuss the requirements at your college for the appropriate catalog year.

Previous Catalog Years

The pathway map presented above is for the current catalog year and is the intended pathway map for new students. All previous catalog years for this pathway map are available at the link below.

Previous catalog years for Certificate of Completion (CCL) in Deaf Interpreter Preparation

Deaf Interpreter Preparation

Details

Average Salary

Entry Level Salary

Mid Level Salary

Expert Level Salary

Average Hourly Wage

Entry Level Hourly Wage

Mid Level Hourly Wage

Expert Level Hourly Wage

Typical Education Level

Projected Job Openings

Full-time Sequence

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

Program Electives

Part-time Sequence

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Term 4

Program Electives