Sign Language Interpreting Program

The Sign Language Interpreting Program sequence begins in the fall of each year. Students wishing to apply to the Sign Language Interpreting Program must complete the following steps:

  1. Admission to Georgia Perimeter College.

  1. Complete English 1101 and 1102 with a "C" or better. These courses can be transferred from any accredited college or university.

  2. Attend a program orientation.

    Orientation for students who have completed their pre-requisites and are ready to enter the program in Fall 2012 was held on Tuesday - May 8, 2012. If you missed this Orientation, please contact Becky Thurman, administrative secretary, at (678) 891-3600 or email to see if there are other options for entering this fall. Please give your name (please spell if calling), mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address.

  1. Complete an application to the Sign Language Interpreting Program.

  2. Pass an assessment of spoken English skills. 

  3. Pass an assessment of sign recall and visual-motor integration (the "GEARS" test).

  4. Pass an assessment of ASL conversational skills. Of the three SLIP entrance assessments, this component receives the greatest weight. In an interview with an advanced ASL communicator, questions are asked about work, family, home, hobbies, or activities. The interview lasts approximately ten minutes and is video recorded for evaluation. To pass this portion of the entrance process the student must demonstrate a shared conversation, answering the interviewer’s questions with elaboration of at least four or five sentences. The student must demonstrate a good knowledge of everyday vocabulary, and must generally produce signs accurately and understandably.  The student must show some use of ASL grammatical structures, though these may not yet be used consistently or fluently.  The student should not use voice or signed English. This interview should be completed only after attending an orientation session. The next round of interviews will be held on Tuesday - July 31, 2012. In order to sit for this interview, you must either a) be sitting in ASL 3 at Georgia Perimeter College or b) have a current skills assessment sheet from one of our advisors (dated January 2012 or later). Contact Becky Thurman to discuss setting up an Entrance Interview. ( becky.thurman@gpc.edu)

Students with skills credentials (certification or assessment from RID/EIPA/QA/SLPI) may be able to exempt the interview portion of the application by submitting their credentials.