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American Sign Language at Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's Degree
41 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
44
Optimistic
41
Base Case
37
Pessimistic
Earnings $33,775/yr (3% vs median)
AI Risk High (44% exposed)
Job Market Large (88,500 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to American Sign Language graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $526K $359K $258K
Earnings Multiple 4.0x 2.8x 2.0x
Viable Career Paths 4 of 4 4 of 4 3 of 4
DegreeWorth Score 44 41 37

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition
$130,080
Median Debt at Graduation
$26,000
9.2 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$48,564
44% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where American Sign Language graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 88,500 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Postsecondary teachers, all other $78,490 13,500 +1.8% 0%
Foreign language and literature teachers, postsecondary $77,010 1,900 -0.2% 53%
Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education $64,580 66,200 -1.6% 33%
Interpreters and translators $59,440 6,900 +1.7% 88%

Compare & Explore

American Sign Language at Other Schools

Siena Heights University ($42,890) Valdosta State University ($37,692) Gallaudet University ($37,235) William Woods University ($36,948) Bethel University ($35,783) Troy University ($35,336) Kent State University at Kent ($33,929) University of New Mexico-Main Campus ($33,300)

Other Majors at Columbia College Chicago

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication ($39,794) Marketing ($36,386) Business Administration, Management and Operations ($34,798) Journalism ($31,369) Design and Applied Arts ($29,630) Graphic Communications ($26,309) Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies ($25,060) Radio, Television, and Digital Communication ($24,191)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for American Sign Language at Columbia College Chicago?
This program scores 41/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 44 (optimistic) to 37 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect American Sign Language career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, American Sign Language graduates retain 4 of 4 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $257,670 (pessimistic) to $525,648 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for American Sign Language graduates?
The career paths mapped to American Sign Language have roughly 88,500 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is American Sign Language at Columbia College Chicago worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 2.8x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 2.0x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.