Location: 101 Speech, Hearing and Deaf Education Center, Phone: (409) 880-8170
Chair: Tony Martin
Chair E-mail: tony.martin@lamar.edu
The Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (DSDE) supports instruction, research, and service, the primary mission areas of Â鶹ÊÓƵ, through the degree programs offered. The department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Sign Language (ASL) for students interested in pursuing work in the teaching of ASL in EC-12 grades. The undergraduate major is also a suitable foundation program for a graduate specialization, state license, and/or national certification within the professional field of deaf education. Completion of the master’s degree is strongly advised by our department faculty in deaf education.
The graduate program of study in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (M.S.) is accredited by the Council on Education of the Deaf (CED).
The Bachelor of Arts degree in American Sign Language (BA-ASL) emphasizes excellent teaching in American Sign Language. This degree enables the student to acquire competence in expressive and receptive skills and familiarity with the literature and culture of the deaf community. While this degree is targeted toward a teaching certificate, sign language interpreters will find this degree supportive of their professional goals.
Teacher certification plans are offered in conjunction with the major study of ASL and the M.S. degree program in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. Details concerning requirements for teacher certification and the professional education course requirements should be obtained from an undergraduate advisor in ASL, the graduate advisors in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, and/or from the College of Education and Human Development section of this catalog.
A new student initiating study at Â鶹ÊÓƵ must meet all admission requirements of the university. Transfer students or students who wish to enter the Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (DSDE) programs by change of major must meet admission requirements or a have a minimum grade point average of 2.50 or better. Grades of “D” are not acceptable as course completion for required classes in departmental majors, nor are they acceptable as course completion for classes to be used as professional electives by student majors within the department.
Undergraduate
Graduate
Total Min. Hours: 120
The bachelor’s degree program in American Sign Language (ASL) prepares students for teaching in schools offering ASL as a “foreign language” credit in an EC-12 program. Each student must complete a REQUIRED departmental core of courses. In addition, each student will complete pedagogy courses required for licensure.
The degree of Bachelor of Arts in American Sign Language will be awarded upon completion of the following minimum degree requirements:
University Residency: A minimum of 30 hours must be taken at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
Senior Residency: A minimum of 24 hours must be completed at Â鶹ÊÓƵ as a senior.
Upper-level Residency: A minimum of 30 hours must be taken at the junior and/or senior levels.
Upper Division Residency: At least 18 hours of the junior/senior level courses must be completed at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
Upper Division Major Requirement: At least 12 hours in the major field must be junior- and senior-level courses.
A student must have a 2.5 GPA to apply for teacher certification (see teacher education section in the College of Education and Human Development). Additionally, all courses in the major course area and elective areas must be at least a grade of "B" or better or the course must be retaken.
All students must satisfy provisions of the Texas Success Initiative program. See TSI information in this catalog.
The Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education offers training and Master of Science degrees in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ deaf education program is certified by the national Council on Education of the Deaf (CED) and graduates are eligible for professional certification through that accrediting agency. In addition, graduates may apply for state licenses as a teacher of deaf children. The program welcomes deaf graduate students. The minimum number of 36 hours for the Master of Science degree is required. However, additional courses may be required for certification as per candidate specialization. Program graduates are expected to be skilled in sign language and must complete a minimum of 450 hours of supervised practicum/internship with deaf education.
The program requirements for the major and the areas of specialization are listed below.
Required DSDE courses—Minimum number of hours: 39
5310, 5311, 5313, 5318, 5319, 5320, 5321, 5322, 5326, 5328, and 5329. Also required is a minimum of two clinical practicum courses 5309 for elementary student experience and 5309 for secondary student experience. Additional courses may be needed for certification as per candidate specialization.
Required Pedagogy (PEDG) courses: 5330, 5344, 5345, 5350, and 5387. Also required is Deaf Education Internship (student teaching in a classroom with deaf children) PEDG 5383.
Area of Specialization: Required by NCLB legislation for being certified as “Highly Qualified,” the following steps have been developed to assist students in the process.
Step 1: Requested “area” should be addressed with the Deaf Education faculty (requires that the student present a transcript for a review of the total courses that have been taken under the requested “area.”
Step 2: After approval from faculty, the student my take the Content Area Proficiency (diagnostic) test at Lamar (currently a cost of $10).
Step 3: Graduate faculty will create a deficiency plan.
Step 4: Take specific courses, depending on your area of specialization.
As a note, some students request to transfer courses or have courses waived for various reasons. For all course transfers, waivers, or substitutions, university policy applies. A written request must be made to the graduate faculty committee (departmental) prior to the G-3 Degree Candidacy form. At no time can waivers or substitution of courses result in students accumulating less than a minimum of 36 credit hours for the degree. Waivers, substitutions, and transfer courses are not automatically accepted. These courses must be reviewed and approved by the graduate faculty (departmental), department chair and graduate dean. For waivers, transfers, and substitutions of pedagogy courses, the student must make the request with the Pedagogy Department in the College of Education and Human Development
Admission to the Graduate Program
Applicants for admission to the master’s degree program in the Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (DSDE), except for students who are deaf (see below), are ranked for admission based on the following criteria:
*Applicants who do not have an accumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or above may be denied admission due to state certification requirements. Such applicants may be given provisional acceptance as a pre-graduate or may be allowed to take post-baccalaureate coursework to improve their GPA at the discretion of the DSDE admission committee.
** Deaf applicants who have a severe to profound hearing loss may choose to submit above average performance intelligence scores (preferably the performance scale of the WAIS-IV) in lieu of the GRE. Acceptance and ranking of such applicants will be at the discretion of the DSDE admission committee, provided that all other criteria are satisfied.
Â鶹ÊÓƵ is one of only a few universities in the U.S. offering a doctoral degree in Deaf Studies or Deaf Education. Lamar is addressing a critical national and international shortage of doctoral trained educators of the deaf.
Graduates of the doctoral program take leadership roles in schools for the deaf or become teacher trainers in university settings. Both hearing and deaf applicants are accepted.
The Â鶹ÊÓƵ Doctor of Education in Deaf Studies and Deaf Education is a minimum 60 hours of coursework and six hours of dissertation. The program courses are categorized as follows:
* Deaf applicants who have a severe to profound hearing loss may choose to submit above average performance intelligence scores (preferably the performance scale of the WAIS-IV) in lieu of the GRE. Acceptance and ranking of such applicants will be at the discretion of the DSDE admission committee, provided that all other criteria are satisfied.