Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Reading and Literacy
Program Highlights & Benefits
Flexible, online format
1.5 year completion time, including holiday breaks
No GRE or admission tests
Complete one course every 8 weeks
For
Professional educators who wish to earn a Master’s in Reading and Literacy and those seeking certification as a Reading Specialist through the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
What You Learn
The objectives of Point Park University’s M.Ed. in Reading and Literacy program are to provide professional educators with a thorough understanding of educational theories while emphasizing collaborative, hands-on, learning using appropriate technologies; to prepare professional educators to develop curricula for content areas that incorporate diverse learner populations and settings across the lifespan; to prepare professional educators to develop appropriate and effective instructional methods which address the needs of diverse student populations across content areas and in a variety of classroom settings; and to prepare professional educators to successfully address contemporary educational issues such as: effective classroom and behavior management, diversity issues, learning styles and differentiated instruction, and integration of technology across the curriculum.
You will learn enhanced reading skills that will enable you to work one-to-one or in small groups with students that are experiencing difficulty reading at grade level. You will obtain the necessary skills to assess students’ reading abilities, identifying deficiencies and creating intervention plans for grade-level students who have been identified in need of additional reading help. The courses will strengthen your ability to teach reading and enable you to work school wide or district wide coaching other teachers in effective reading practices. In addition to assessment and intervention of students with reading deficiencies, you will learn about teaching Reading in the Content Areas, the Reading and Writing Connection, and the skills needed to coach other teachers in the classroom. Receiving your Reading Specialist Certification will also enhance your capacity in the job market by opening other educational avenues. Obtaining the credits for Reading Specialist can also be applied toward gaining permanent certification.
How You Learn
Online Format: This is an online cohort program. No face-to-face class meetings are required, but students will be engaged in an active and engaging online classroom environment that includes assignments, materials, discussion threads, assessments and/or group activities done electronically. One 3-credit practicum course is included in your course schedule, where you will be responsible for completing the mandated number of observation hours required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education prior to certification. These hours will need to be completed in a reading clinic with a practicing reading specialist. You will finish one 3-credit course every 8 weeks. Following this schedule, you will complete the program in approximately 1.5 years.
Career Outcomes
Upon completion of this program, students will have earned an M.Ed. in Reading and Literacy and be eligible for certification as a K-12 Reading Specialist from the state of Pennsylvania by passing the PRAXIS 5302 test through the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Degree Requirements
| Course | Title | Hours |
| EDUC 515 | Foundations of Literacy | 3 |
| EDUC 516 | Reading/Writing in the Content Areas | 3 |
| EDUC 517 | Literature and Literacy | 3 |
| EDUC 518 | Literary Assessment | 3 |
| EDUC 519 | Role of the Reading Specialist | 3 |
| EDUC 524 | Content Area Design & Instruction | 3 |
| EDUC 536 | Research Methods | 3 |
| EDUC 569 | Reading Specialist Practicum | 3 |
| EDUC 535 | Technological Applications Across the Curriculum | 3 |
| EDUC 541 | Culturally Responsive Schools | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 30 |
Please Note:
Program and course requirements are subject to change to comply with university policy.
Successful completion of the Praxis 5302 exam is required for certification.
Students will need to complete a 3 credit practicum course in a reading clinic with a practicing reading specialist to satisfy Pennsylvania Department of Education requirements pertaining to field experience and observation hours prior to certification.
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