The William Woods Department of Interpreting and American Sign Language began in October 1990 with a grant from the State of Missouri, Department of Education Special Education (DESE) and was housed in the William Woods Institute.

Our program is one of only 25 in the U.S. and Canada to offer a four-year interpreting degree. Our four-year program allows our graduates to acquire better jobs because of their advanced skills.

William Woods has the distinct advantage of being located in the same community as the Missouri School for the Deaf, so we are able to offer many opportunities for you to improve your signing skills through interaction with members of the Deaf community. Workshops and social activities are frequently held at the Missouri School for the Deaf. In addition, our students are invited to participate in various activities with members of the local and state Deaf community. They even get together weekly at a local restaurant.

Our program emphasizes attaining knowledge of the culture and community of the Deaf, the interpreting process and ethical standards, as well as a few specialized areas of interpreting.

We have a well-qualified, highly committed faculty and a low student-faculty ratio. The faculty have individual advising sessions and open office hours, and are always willing to help you in any way possible. Some of our faculty members are Deaf,

and they bring a unique perspective to our

classes.

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Course Checklist
Courses Required for Interpreting Major (prerequisites shown in parenthesis)

ITP 101 Orientation to Interpreting (none)
ITP 105 American Sign Language I (none)
ITP 120 Deaf Culture (none)
ITP 205 American Sign Language II (ITP 105)
ITP 301 Interpreting I (ITP 101 & ITP 205)
ITP 305 American Sign Language III (ITP 205)
ITP 310 Specialized Interpreting (ITP 301)
ITP 351 Interpreting II (ITP 301 & ITP 305)
ITP 355 American Sign Language IV (ITP 305)
ITP 375 Interpreting III (ITP 351 & ITP 355)
ITP 380 Interpreting IV (ITP 375)

ITP 405 American Sign Language V (ITP 355)
ITP 425 Linguistics & Sociolinguistic (ITP 205)
ITP 450 Internship I (ITP 390)
ITP 475 Internship II (ITP 450)

Elective

ITP 200 IP: Music Interpreting

ITP 200 IP: Issues in Interpreting