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Curriculum and Instruction: Reading Education
Degree offerings within the Curriculum and Instruction prepare educators for a wide variety of professional opportunities in formal and informal learning environments including colleges and universities, PK-12 schools and school divisions, local, state and federal departments of education, education-related non-profit organizations, and education-related advocacy organizations. Flexible offerings delivered face-to-face or online either full-time or part-time (depending upon the degree) make the Curriculum and Instruction programs adaptable for students’ needs.
Master of Education - Curriculum and Instruction: Reading Education
The Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction - Reading Education is designed for reading practitioners to strengthen their knowledge, instructional skills and abilities for effective teaching of reading. The program is designed to develop knowledge about the science of reading and effective and efficient reading assessment and instruction at both the elementary and secondary levels. The program also develops students as literacy leaders in their schools and districts and prepares individuals for literacy work in community colleges, industry, adult education programs, commercial education centers and private practice.
Successful degree completers will demonstrate the following: (a) the understanding of the science of reading and the cognitive underpinnings of reading development; (b) the implementation of evidence-based reading assessment and instruction; (c) the understanding of the broad range of reading profiles for students in school settings and how to address heterogenous learning needs; (d) how to use data to drive instructional decision making; (e) the ability to instruct through the use of reading and literacy strategies for student achievement; and (f) the integration of research and theory in practice.
Total Number of Credits required
The academic Master’s degree in Reading Education is a 30-hour degree. Teachers in Virginia who wish to add the Commonwealth of Virginia’s K12 reading specialist endorsement to their teaching license must take an additional three credit hours (3) in one of our summer reading clinics (degree + 3 hours). The MEd plus 3 is a state approved curriculum for preparing teachers for the Commonwealth of Virginia’s K12 reading specialist endorsement.
Required core reading courses - 24 credits
Required Cognates - 6 credits
Required for Endorsement (one clinical course)
The clinical course is not part of the academic master’s degree but is required to obtain the Commonwealth of Virginia’s K12 Reading Specialist endorsement:
Note: The VA K12 Reading Endorsement requires applicants to have a Child Psychology or Human Growth and Development course. The psychology course is also required for a Commonwealth of Virginia teaching license. Students who do not have the requisite psychology course on their undergraduate transcript will need to take a psychology course that meets the state requirement. Please consult with your advisor if you need a course to fulfill this requirement.
Culminating Experience
M.Ed. students need to pass a comprehensive examination in order to graduate. The Reading M.Ed. comprehensive exam consists of a series of multiple-choice questions and case studies. Students will complete the exam during their last semester of coursework.
Other
This degree accepts both GRE scores and alternative admissions procedures (before application and admission, the individual takes two core courses [EDIS 7700 and 7720], earns a B+ or better, and submits a writing sample that is graded against a rubric). This option allows the applicant to become acquainted with the program before admission.
Doctor of Philosophy in Education - Reading Education
The Ph.D. in Education - Reading Education is a terminal graduate degree that prepares graduates for positions in university settings (e.g., in research intensive universities, liberal arts colleges, and other post-secondary institutions), school districts, and government agencies. The Ph.D. in Education- Reading Education program emphasizes development of strong foundational knowledge in theory and the practical application of theory in reading education. A thorough understanding of all aspects of the research process is key, including: development of research questions and hypotheses, research design, analysis and interpretation, dissemination of results in both oral and written formats, and grant writing to fund research. Ph.D. in Education: Reading Education students take extensive coursework in research methods and many focus on optional areas of emphasis.
Core Requirements
A minimum of 24 semester hours of core coursework is required for the Reading Education PhD. Possible core courses include:
- EDIS 7091 Proseminar: Reading
- EDIS 7210 Advanced Language Development
- EDIS 7400 Problems and Issues in Language, Literacy and Cultural Studies
- EDIS 7700 Foundations of Reading Instruction
- EDIS 7710 Reading in the Content Areas
- EDIS 7720 Word Study: Language, Structures, and Phonics
- EDIS 7730 Practicum in Reading Diagnosis
- EDIS 7740 Practicum in Remedial Reading
- EDIS 7750 Effective Reading Programs
- EDIS 7751 Literacy Leadership and Coaching
- EDIS 7830 Trends and Issues in Teaching and Learning
- EDIS 7851 Theoretical Models of Reading Seminar
- EIDS 7852 Seminar: Reading Research
- EDIS 7882 Reading Seminar: Early Literacy Acquisition
- EDIS 7883 Reading Disabilities
- EDIS 7886 Comprehension of Text
- EDIS 7887 Models of Reading
- EDIS 9700 Reading Research Seminar
Research Requirements
A minimum of 24 semester hours of core coursework is required. Required research courses include:
- EDIS 7852 Reading the Research
- EDLF 7300 Foundations of Educational Research
- EDLF 7310 Educational Statistics- Stat I
- EDLF 7404 Qualitative Analysis
- EDLF 8300 Experimental Design-Stat II
Optional Area of Emphasis
A minimum of 12 semester hours is required. Coursework is approved by the student’s doctoral program committee and the CISE Department Doctoral Studies Coordinator.
Other Requirements
- Research mentorship - A minimum of 12 semester hours of research mentorship must be completed.
- Preliminary Examination - Completed after the first year of full-time coursework
- Qualifying paper/Comprehensive Examination - Completed after the second year of full-time coursework
- Dissertation - A minimum of 12 credits hours must be completed.
Culminating Experience
PhD students in Reading Education must successful design, implement and defend the dissertation project in accordance with the School of Education and Human Development Dissertation manual.
