American Sign Language Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
American Sign Language maps to BLS occupations averaging about $122,550, with roughly 60,440 workers nationwide in those roles. About 2,311 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; median program completion runs near 60%.
Key Statistics
American Sign Language: what the data shows
Common questions about american sign language degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a american sign language degree?
A American Sign Language program is classified under NCES CIP 00.1616 in the 00.0016 field family (00.16).
IPEDS counted 2,311 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of american sign language degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.16 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1602)
- American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1610)
- Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1613)
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1612)
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1603)
- Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1605)
- Iranian/Persian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1608)
- Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (CIP 00.1601)
- Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1611)
- Modern Greek Language and Literature (CIP 00.1606)
- Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1609)
- Second Language Learning (CIP 00.1617)
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1604)
- South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1607)
- Southeast Asian and Australasian/Pacific Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1614)
- Turkic, Uralic-Altaic, Caucasian, and Central Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (CIP 00.1615)
How long does it take to get a american sign language degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1616 in our file:
- 211 Bachelor's (22.1% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 744 Master's (77.9% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in american sign language?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Instructing, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Learning Strategies, Writing, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a american sign language degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links American Sign Language to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | 36,260 | $59,950 |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | 178,790 | $95,410 |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 59,590 | $78,270 |
| Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 21,170 | $77,010 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 136,390 | $78,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a american sign language degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $4,280 and median net price is $8,759.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in American Sign Language and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$4,280 Median In-State Public
$32,520 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for American Sign Language majors are, on average, $4,280 for in-state public colleges, and $32,520 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for American Sign Language programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
2,311 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in American Sign Language from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in American Sign Language.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liberty University | VA | 50,059 |
| 2 | Lone Star College System | TX | 47,486 |
| 3 | Tarrant County College District | TX | 40,214 |
| 4 | Houston Community College | TX | 37,970 |
| 5 | University of Houston | TX | 37,175 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering American Sign Language programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,126 |
| 3 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 4 | Berkeley City College | CA | $1,148 |
| 5 | San Diego Mesa College | CA | $1,150 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for American Sign Language programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $29 |
| 2 | Henry Ford College | MI | $576 |
| 3 | Cerritos College | CA | $693 |
| 4 | South Texas College | TX | $1,291 |
| 5 | Reedley College | CA | $1,584 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for American Sign Language programs.
Graduation Rates
60.25% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
59.13% Average Graduation Rate
136 Institutions Reporting
47.35% - 71.11% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for American Sign Language programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.16 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1602
- American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1610
- Celtic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1613
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1612
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1603
- Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1605
- Iranian/Persian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1608
- Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services CIP 00.1601
- Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1611
- Modern Greek Language and Literature CIP 00.1606
- Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1609
- Second Language Learning CIP 00.1617
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1604
- South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1607
- Southeast Asian and Australasian/Pacific Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1614
- Turkic, Uralic-Altaic, Caucasian, and Central Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics CIP 00.1615
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1616 in the survey year used in our extract (955 total across levels below).
- 211 Bachelor's (22.1% of IPEDS total)
- 744 Master's (77.9% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $122,550. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of American Sign Language graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors | $100,129 | 36,260 |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | $117,150 | 178,790 |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | $145,212 | 59,590 |
| Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | $129,691 | 21,170 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $88,062 | 136,390 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $188,333 | 75,710 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$141,727 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for American Sign Language majors is $141,727.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for American Sign Language majors.
Occupations by Share
60,440 2023 Workforce
The number of American Sign Language graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in American Sign Language by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in American Sign Language in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in American Sign Language.
Age distribution for American Sign Language degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of American Sign Language degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of American Sign Language degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in American Sign Language are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in American Sign Language.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the American Sign Language field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
American Sign Language majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for American Sign Language majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for American Sign Language majors.
About
American Sign Language
In 2023, 2,311 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in American Sign Language.
CIP Code
00.1616 - American Sign Language
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $122,550. The largest mapped role by headcount is Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors (36,260 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $4,280 in-state at public colleges and $32,520 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.