The Reading Specialist graduate program provides opportunities for currently licensed teachers to earn a Reading Specialist Certificate or a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in an online format. Currently licensed teachers who already hold a master’s may obtain the certification necessary for a Reading Specialist (Certificate-only), while those who do not hold a master’s may obtain both the certificate and the Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree. Both options provide program graduates with opportunities for career and salary advancement.

The Reading Specialist program prepares candidates to serve as Pre-K through Adult Reading Specialists who offer literacy leadership and work with other educators to evaluate students’ reading abilities, plan assessments, and provide appropriate reading and writing instruction and support for struggling readers. Program graduates have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to serve their schools and communities as resource persons and plan collaboratively and cooperatively with other professionals to offer programs for diverse populations of learners. Graduates of the Reading Specialist program are also prepared to provide leadership as they advocate for children and families and provide professional development opportunities at local and state levels.

Program Outcomes

• Candidates understand major theories and empirical research that describe the cognitive, linguistic, motivational, and sociocultural foundations of reading and writing development, processes, and components, including word recognition, language comprehension, strategic knowledge, and reading-writing connections.

• Candidates use instructional approaches, materials, and an integrated, comprehensive, balanced curriculum to support student learning in reading and writing.

• Candidates use a variety of assessment tools and practices to plan and evaluate effective reading and writing instruction.

• Candidates create and engage their students in literacy practices that develop awareness, understanding, respect, and a valuing of differences in our society.

• Candidates create a literate environment that fosters reading and writing by integrating foundational knowledge, instructional practices, approaches and methods, curriculum materials, and the appropriate use of assessments.

• Candidates participate in, design, facilitate, lead, and evaluate effective and differentiated professional development programs.

Admission Criteria

• An undergraduate degree in education with certification as a classroom teacher

• A 3.0 overall GPA

• Submission of a passing score on the GRE or MAT, or the candidate can submit the PLT score in lieu of the GRE/MAT score.

Graduation Requirements

Completion of all required courses (30 credit hours) and maintaining a 3.0 or better GPA.

Program Delivery

All coursework is delivered online and asynchronously, enabling candidates to complete coursework wherever they have access to the Internet, and at times that are most convenient for them. Some courses are coupled with clinical experiences either in the candidates’ own schools or in an arranged placement in a school.