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Educational interpreter education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an educational interpreter. Educational interpreters usually study american sign language, special education, or education. 62% of educational interpreters hold a bachelor's degree, and 26% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 670 real educational interpreter resumes to see exactly what educational interpreter education sections show.
The most common colleges for educational interpreters are the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
There are also many online educational interpreter courses to help get the education required to be an educational interpreter.
There are certain educational interpreter certifications that you should consider. These educational interpreter certifications include Certified Interpreter and Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI).
What education do you need to become an educational interpreter?
What degree do you need to be an educational interpreter?
- Bachelor's, 62%
- Associate, 26%
- Master's, 7%
- High School Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become an educational interpreter?
- Special Education, 13%
- Education, 10%
- Biology, 9%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for educational interpreters
| Educational interpreter common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 9.09% |
| Western Washington University | 9.09% |
| University of Phoenix | 6.06% |
| Kent State University | 6.06% |
| SUNY Empire State College | 4.55% |
Best majors for educational interpreters
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Sign Language | 16.3% |
| 2 | Special Education | 13.3% |
| 3 | Education | 9.6% |
| 4 | Biology | 9.3% |
| 5 | Psychology | 7.3% |
Best colleges for educational interpreters
The best colleges for educational interpreters are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
An educational interpreter with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for educational interpreters. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become educational interpreters.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
7. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
10. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
20 best online courses for educational interpreters
Advertising disclosure
1. Online Learning Design for Educators
This specialization is for educators seeking to improve and expand their repertoire of online teaching skills related to the design, development and delivery of effective and engaging online courses and lessons for school age and adult learners.\n\nLearning in the 21st century no longer takes place exclusively between the four walls of a physical classroom. With advances in technology, learners now expect to be offered flexible study modes outside of the traditional face-to-face model. This...
2. Critical Issues in Urban Education
Urban school reform in the United States is characterized by contentious, politicized debate. This course explores a set of critical issues in the education and educational reform space, with a focus on aspects of the field that have sparked controversy and polarized views. We will dig into these debates, situating them within the larger history of public education and school reform, and considering the viewpoints, the evidence, and translation of issues into educational policy. We will...
3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)
Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...
4. Google Certified Educator Level 1 Technical Training
Google Apps for Education...
5. Music Education for Teachers
In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...
6. Health, Housing, and Educational Services
Course 5 discusses policies in four areas: housing, education, healthcare, and immigration, with an optional fifth module in child protection. This course addresses issues of power, oppression, and white supremacy. -First we’ll look at housing policy, with its contrasting supports for homeowners and renters. -Then we’ll interpret the structure that provides education and examine debates about its future. -The third module will differentiate the issues in the U.S. healthcare system and develop...
7. Introduction to Early Childhood Montessori Education
Learning Montessori Philosophy and Materials by visiting classrooms across the U.S...
8. Seth Godin on learning and education
Build the future of community, culture and possibility...
9. Diversity and Inclusion in Education
Student diversity is becoming the rule rather than the exception in education systems across the world. Students bring to classroom different characteristics such as ability and disability, socio-economic background, race, ethnicity, and cultural background, beliefs and religion, and gender characteristics. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (United Nations, 2015)...
10. What future for education?
Through this course you will start to critically examine your own ideas about education, teaching and learning. The critique will be developed through engagement with theories and ideas developed through educational research. You will be encouraged to use these ideas to challenge or support your own ideas about education. Each week we will focus on one key question, using video lectures, key readings and challenges to explore some commonplace notions about education. With the guidance of the...
11. Complete Google Certified Educator Level 1 and 2 Masterclass
Google Certified Educator Level 1 and 2 Training - Mastering Google Classroom - G Suite - Teaching Online - Google Drive...
12. Train the Trainer Foundation: Adult Education Mastery Course
Deploy a repeatable system for employee learning to ensure you reach every learner…every time...
13. Aboriginal Worldviews and Education
Intended for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal learners, this course will explore indigenous ways of knowing and how they can benefit all students. Topics include historical, social, and political issues in Aboriginal education; terminology; cultural, spiritual and philosophical themes in Aboriginal worldviews; and how Aboriginal worldviews can inform professional programs and practices, including but not limited to the field of education...
14. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher
Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...
15. Outcome Based Education (OBE) & Academic Quality Assurance
Master Course for Teachers' Development: Grow Your Teaching-Learning Expertise to World-Class Level...
16. Teaching Impacts of Technology in K-12 Education
2% That’s the estimate of how many high school students in all of California took a Computer Science class in 2015. And yet, computers and data are everywhere. Just consider a typical 24 hours in your life … how many different computer devices do you use? We all live in multiple digital worlds that are changing rapidly with new apps, devices, and data analyses offering a constant stream of innovations and technology integrations for our lives.\n\nAs it's an integral part of our lives, we’re...
17. Instructional Methods in Health Professions Education
This course provides those involved in educating members of the health professions an asynchronous, interdisciplinary, and interactive way to obtain, expand, and improve their teaching skills. These skills can then be applied within their own professional context, with a variety of learners, extending across many stages. After completing this course, learners will: 1. Understand educational theory as it relates to health professions education 2. Match instructional methods with desired...
18. Computational Thinking for K-12 Educators Capstone
In this capstone project course, you will learn to support your students in successfully completing the Advanced Placement Principles Create Task -- however this task can be useful for any course as a culminating, student-designed final programming project. You will learn to interpret and practice applying to real sample student work the Create Task rubric and have the option to modify it for your own setting. You'll prepare resources to help students through the challenges that come with doing...
19. Activity Design with PhET Simulations for STEM Education
PhET Interactive Simulations ( https://phet.colorado.edu/ ), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for use across, primary, secondary, and higher education levels. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness. All simulations are open source and free to all students and teachers. In this course, we will review strategies for how to use PhET to create sim-based...
20. American Education Reform: History, Policy, Practice
Discover what shapes how we talk about schools today by exploring the history of U.S. education reform. Engage with the main actors, key decisions, and major turning points in this history. See how social forces drive reform. Learn about how the critical tensions embedded in U.S. education policy and practice apply to schools nationally, globally— and where you live...
Top 10 most affordable universities for educational interpreters
The most affordable schools for educational interpreters are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and baruch college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for educational interpreters are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for educational interpreters.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
7. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for educational interpreters
The hardest universities for educational interpreters to get into are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for educational interpreters are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for educational interpreters based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
9. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
10. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,488
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for educational interpreters
The easiest schools for educational interpreters to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and san francisco state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an educational interpreter without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for educational interpreters.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
4. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
5. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
6. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
7. Notre Dame of Maryland University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,069
8. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
9. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
10. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
Average educational interpreter salary by education level
| Educational interpreter education level | Educational interpreter salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $45,114 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $37,924 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $41,791 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $41,587 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025