Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities Graduate Certificate
Deepen your reading expertise: Close the literacy gap for struggling readers!
Why Choose the Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities Graduate Certificate at USJ?
- Fully Online Cohort
Study from anywhere while staying connected to a supportive peer group.
- Live Virtual Classes
Just one evening per week—built for working educators.
- 8-Week Courses
Focused, fast-paced, and designed for immediate classroom application.
- Integrate Technology Tools
Learn how to use emerging technologies to help support students in the classroom.
- Innovate Your Practice
Deepen impact with inclusive, research-informed strategies.
- Designed for Balance
Finish in 2 years—without stepping away from your classroom.
Transformative Learning for Today’s Classrooms
The Graduate Certificate in Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities is designed for K–12 educators who want to deepen their expertise in effective, research-based reading instruction for students with dyslexia and other reading challenges. This highly targeted graduate program focuses on equipping educators with the knowledge and tools to make a meaningful difference in the lives of struggling readers—especially the 10–20% of students affected by dyslexia.
Courses explore language and literacy development, diagnostic assessment, and intensive instructional interventions in phonics, word reading, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. Educators will also learn to apply assistive technology and Universal Design for Learning principles to remove barriers and create inclusive reading environments.
This program is ideal for general and special educators, reading specialists, and interventionists committed to literacy equity and student success.
Program Design
Built for working educators, this fully online program combines the flexibility of asynchronous learning with the richness of live, weekly online sessions that promote collaboration and real-time engagement.
- Follows a cohort model for peer support and community
- Courses are offered in eight-week blocks, one at a time
- Live class sessions meet one evening per week from 4:45 PM – 8:45 PM
- Program can be completed in approximately one year
Prerequisites
Applicants must:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution (minimum GPA of 2.5)
- Have access to a classroom or educational setting for field-based assignments
- Be passionate about improving literacy outcomes for all students
What You’ll Learn
- Develop knowledge and skill in providing comprehensive reading instruction that is highly effective for students with dyslexia and for all struggling readers
- Address the skills and strategies demonstrated by research to be most effective in teaching students with dyslexia and to help them become the strongest readers possible
- Explore language and literacy development assessment, and the design and delivery of intensive interventions to address difficulties in word reading, vocabulary development, language and reading comprehension, and writing abilities.
Degree Requirements and Career Outcomes
The requirements for this program are successful completion of the program’s respective courses (listed below). This is not a licensure or endorsement program, but students who complete the program will be eligible for a University of Saint Joseph Graduate Certificate in Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities. Students who complete the certificate program will be eligible to continue their study to complete a 30-credit MA in Special Education with Certificate in Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities.
Plan of Study
| Course | Title | Hours |
| SPEC 572 | Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities: Connecting Assessment to Instruction An advanced course for licensed teachers that focuses on the in-depth understanding of diverse reading profiles, including dyslexia, and the identification and remediation of reading difficulties through structured literacy instruction. | 3 |
| SPEC 545 | Seminar in Intensive Interventions in Reading: Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities An advanced course for licensed teachers focusing on literacy acquisition, knowledge of diverse reading profiles, including dyslexia, and the essential principles and practices of structured literacy instruction within a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) framework. | 3 |
| SPEC 574 | Seminar in Literacy Assessment Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities An advanced course for licensed teachers that focuses on screening, progress-monitoring, diagnostic and outcome assessments of reading and writing within a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework. | 3 |
| SPEC 540 | Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Interventions An advanced course for licensed teachers that focuses on structured literacy interventions in vocabulary and reading comprehension for students with diverse reading profiles, including dyslexia. | 3 |
| SPEC 543 | Intensive Writing Interventions An advanced course for licensed teachers that focuses on the essential principles and practices of structured literacy instruction in writing. | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 15 |
Please Note:
The courses for this program may be offered in a different order. This list should not be considered the finalized course sequence.
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