Award
MA
Start date(s)
13 January 2025,16 September 2024
UCAS Code
Course specifications
Course length
Part-time (3 years)
Campus location
Wolverhampton City Campus
UCAS points calculator

Why choose this course?

The course is designed to provide learners with the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills in sign language interpreting or translation (SLT/I) within several domains to enhance employability. The qualification with develop theoretical and practical knowledge, skills and performance in interpreting and will be relevant for interpreters who work as sign language interpreters or translators and have English or British Sign Language as one of their working languages.

The course is intellectually stimulating and upon completion learners will have the skills, knowledge and understanding to apply theoretical frameworks to real world interpreting and translation situations, support co-interpreters/translators and engage in complex SLT/I work in the medical, legal and conference domains.

The course adopts an interdisciplinary approach that will enable learners to develop an understanding of complex and challenging SLT/I environments. Skills development includes professionalising working languages, updating your knowledge of new research and its application to our work and critical reflection on one’s own and others practice.

The dissertation will allow the learners to explore an aspect of SLT/I within a research study, after learning appropriate research design for the field.

What happens on the course?

 

 

Course Modules

Potential Career Paths

Additional Information

Everything you need to know about this course!

This programme offers flexibility to students in terms of career choice and meets industry demand because there is a wide appeal amongst employers for students who have both the knowledge, skills and performance as SLT/I and the research skills to develop sector knowledge and expertise.  

The course is unique in bringing together situated learning alongside allied professionals, and teaching on the course is undertaken by experienced practitioners (interpreters, translators, nurses, solicitors, etc.). The teaching team have published situated learning and is recognised as a European level for the European forum of sign language interpreters as a leader in training.

1. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems in SLT/I through situational analyses.

2. Act autonomously in planning and implementing of the interpreting task: pre-; during; and post assignment; at a professional or equivalent level.

3. Demonstrate the SLT/I techniques and skills necessary for employment requiring:

  • the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility via clear communication of your in-situ decisions
  • decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations
  • the independent learning ability required for continuing professional development.

4. Critically evaluate current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline; evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them.

5. Apply knowledge in an original way, critically analysing how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline.

 


 

Location Mode Fee Year
Home Part-time £3077 per year 2022-23
Home Part-time £3230 per year 2023-24
Home Part-time £3230 per year 2023-24
Home Part-time £3392 per year 2024-25

These fees relate to new entrants only for the academic year indicated for entry onto the course, any subsequent years study may be subject to an annual increase, usually in line with inflation.

The entry requirements for the MA Interpreting would include:- 

  • A first or second class (2:2 or above) Undergraduate Honours Degree from a UK university or overseas equivalent, or a professional qualification and/or experience considered to be equivalent to the above;
  • A reference from a tutor who has supervised the applicant’s undergraduate studies and/or employer;
  • NVQ level 6/C1 fluency in BSL.
  • And/or NVQ level 6/C1 fluency in English.

Students may apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL) subject to the guidelines set out in the RPL Handbook. RPL includes accreditation of prior certificated learning and /or accreditation of prior experiential learning. 

Applications are also welcome from individuals who do not possess the above qualifications but who have significant interpreting or translation experience and are able to demonstrate previous non-certificated learning equivalent to the above.  In such cases, admission to the programme will be based on an evaluation of the applicant’s ability to continue to benefit from and achieve the award. Applicants may be required to attend an interview. 

International applicants with an equivalent of a 2:2 or above honours degree in Interpreting of their national sign language and spoken language with either English or BSL at NVQ 6 / C1 fluency and C1 fluency in their native sign language, may be accepted on the course. In such cases, admission to the programme will be based on an evaluation of the applicant’s ability to continue to benefit from and achieve the award. Applicants may be required to attend an interview.

Postgraduate Loan (Home Fee Status):

You may be able to get a postgraduate student loan from Student Finance England of up to £12,167 to help pay for a Master’s degree. Applications are made through Student Finance England and more information on the regulations and eligibility criteria can be found at Masters Loans gov.uk.

* Any RPL will invalidate your eligibility as you must study a minimum of 180 credits


Changes for EU students:

The UK government has confirmed that EU students starting courses from 1 August 2021 will normally be classified as Overseas (International) students for fee purposes. More information about the change is available at UKCISA:

EU citizens living in the UK with 'settled' status, and Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland, will still be classified as Home students, providing they meet the usual residency requirements, for more information about EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) click here.


Postgraduate Loyalty Discount:

You can get 20% discount on a taught on-site postgraduate course if you’re a University of Wolverhampton Graduate.

The University offers a generous 20% Loyalty Discount to students progressing from an undergraduate programme to a taught postgraduate programme, where both courses are University of Wolverhampton Awards.

There is no time limit on how long ago you completed your degree as long as this is your first Masters level qualification.

The discount applies to the first year of enrolment only. Students who receive a loyalty discount are not entitled to any further tuition discount or bursary. For full terms and conditions click here.


Self-funded:

If you are paying for the fees yourself then the fees can be paid in 3 instalments: November, January and April. More information can be found by clicking here.


Sponsored - Your employer, embassy or organisation can pay for your Tuition fees:

Your employer, embassy or organisation agrees to pay all or part of your tuition fees; the University will refer to them as your sponsor and will invoice them for the appropriate amount.

We must receive notification of sponsorship in writing as soon as possible, and before enrolment, confirming that the sponsor will pay your tuition fees.


Financial Hardship:

Students can apply to the Dennis Turner Opportunity Fund for help with course related costs however this cannot be used for fees or to cover general living costs.


Charitable Funding:

You might also want to explore the possibility of funding from charitable trusts; please see the following websites Association of Charitable Foundations, Directory of Social Change or Family Action. Most charities and trust funds offer limited bursaries targeted to specific groups of students so you will need to research whether any of them are relevant to your situation.


You can find more information on the University’s Funding, cost, fee and support pages.

Telephone

01902 32 22 22

Email

enquiries@wlv.ac.uk

Online

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