How to Get a Master's Degree in Literacy & Reading

It's hard to imagine a more crucial profession than helping children, adults, and persons from another country learn to read and comprehend English. By earning your master's degree in education, with a specialization in literacy and reading, you can prepare students for success throughout their lives. The campus or online master's degree in education represents the fundamental, advanced degree for teaching in the classroom, for working as a curriculum administrator, or engaging in literacy research in higher education.

It takes dedication and a passion for learning to excel at the master's degree level. Depending on degree requirements, most students complete master's programs in two or three years if they're focused and motivated. Online master's degree programs can be completed in two years, which makes them a good choice for teachers who are already working. You don't want to waste valuable time or effort. This comprehensive planning guide can spare you days by helping you decide if a master's degree in education is for you, find the right program to reach your professional goals, and apply for admissions and financial aid.

Overview of the Master's Degree in Literacy & Reading

The master's degree in education with a specialization in literacy & reading is a two or three-year program that prepares students with practical teaching expertise, academic theory, and research opportunities to flourish in teaching, education consulting, or scholarship careers. Both campus and online master's in education programs allow you to focus on student literacy assessments, curriculum analysis and development, reading comprehension training or testing, applying technology in the classroom, and second-language education. Stanford University's Hoover Institute reports that today's Americans barely reach the level of literacy when compared with other international democracies. Here's where you come in.

Literacy specialists can focus on K-12 education, basic reading and literacy, elementary and secondary school education, teaching English as a second language (ESL), or adult education. The National Institute for Literacy reports that the most successful specialists must know how to combine strategies and understand the barriers to learning and how their students can prosper. For example, K-12 students must learn phonetics, comprehension, and vocabulary skills. Adolescents must learn a wider vocabulary, deeper comprehension, and reading for content. Adults with learning disabilities must learn effective ways of working beyond their disadvantages.

Determining which master's degree program is best suited for your goals takes some time and focus. You can enroll on campus or earn a master's degree online. Start with a general examination of the professions and narrow your options as you go. If you already have a teaching job, you can earn a master's degree online. Start by visiting WorldWideLearn's guide to Online Literacy & Reading Degree Programs. You can also review the range of Master's Degrees online, or degree programs by subject.

The Application Process for Master's Degree Programs in Education

The number of campus or online master's degree programs in education can be overwhelming. In the United States there are more than 1,150 teacher preparation programs, according to the International Reading Association. In the section that follows, we can help you begin with a wide view, then help you advance toward choosing the right degree program depending on your career goals and, finally, target a small number of programs that offer just the right curriculum for you.

How to Choose a Master's Degree in Education Program in Literacy & Reading

In this key process, you can find out more about yourself, your career objectives, and the range of campus or online graduate degree programs that map to your objectives. You may be surprised that you learn as much about your dreams as you do about programs. You can whittle down the larger list into one that better supports your goals. Finally, you focus on a short list of programs that interest you.

Step 1: Evaluate the Available Programs

Objective: Determine your major requirements for the education you need from an all-inclusive list of campus and online master's degree programs in education. Online directories, government agencies, and formal published guides can help with the first pass.

Absolute Requirements for a suitable Master's Degree Program in Education: Literacy & Reading. Here's where you decide which graduate school features are absolute for you.

Accreditation. Formal accreditation for your chosen campus or online master's degree program is the basic acceptable standard for quality. In many cases, you won't be eligible for financial aid or transfer credits if you don't attend an accredited college or school. National, independent accreditation agencies evaluate higher educational institutions on a regular basis. Don't compromise on this.

Online or Campus Learning Format. Colleges, schools, and universities today offer options. You can attend school on campus, earn a master's degree online, or through hybrid campus-distance learning programs. The Master in Education: Literacy & Reading degree is offered by campus and online programs. You can narrow your choice by evaluating your current work and family commitments as well as career objectives.

Academic-track programs. They are designed for Literacy and Reading specialists who wish to take advantage of faculty mentors, research opportunities, student teaching, and fellowships. Online programs may offer these benefits, but campus facilities are better suited for scholars who intend to build a research or postsecondary teaching career.

Professional-track programs. These may offer optimal choices for working educators who must balance work and family obligations with an online graduate degree program to prepare them for specializations in classroom, curriculum development, or administrative fields.

Hybrids. Depending on your ability to juggle the many forces in your life, you may find a campus program with a significant online degree component that can mesh with your obligations and career objectives.

Location is critical: Can you relocate to attend a campus program without affecting work or family? Should you earn a master's degree online? If you choose a hybrid program, how will campus meetings affect your current obligations?

Resources for Building Your First List:

• Start here at WorldWideLearn.com. You can search by degree programs by subject or location, or browse online masters in education programs. WorldWideLearn.com offers a downloadable publication, The Insider's College Guide for Working Adults, to help steer you through the process.

• Search for accredited programs at the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  
• Visit the U.S. News & World Report Best Education Schools: A-Z Directory Index.

Step 2: Narrow Down Your List of Master's Degree Programs in Education: Literacy & Reading

Objective: Evaluate the merits and offerings of specific campus and online Master in Education programs, focusing on course requirements, program descriptions, classes offered in literacy and reading. Add checkmarks to programs that appeal to you.

Determine Career Objectives: Do you plan to ultimately remain in higher education, pursuing research and publishing on topics in literacy, and teaching undergraduate students? Or, are you set on the idea of working in the field, teaching in the classroom, developing and evaluating curriculum, serving as a school district administrator? Are you interested in developing specializations? If you're still struggling to find the right role, browse through WorldWideLearn and explore the major fields in education.

Areas of Specialization in Literacy & Reading: Given that everyone's career goals shift over time, where do you find your keenest interests in the profession? Campus and distance graduate education programs offer degrees with the following nomenclature:

• Master of Education in Reading
• Master of Education in Literacy
• Master of Education in K-12 Literacy
• Master of Education in Elementary Reading & Literacy
• Master of Education in Adult Education with an emphasis on Literacy

As you evaluate prospective graduate programs, discover whether the coursework includes preparation in specialized areas that interest you, including:

• Reading comprehension
• Literacy research and quantitative analysis
• Literacy assessment
• Techniques for teaching literacy and reading
• Literacy curriculum development
• Using technology to teach literacy

College and Faculty: If you have completed undergraduate work or have teaching experience, you may already recognize experts in the reading & literacy field. Or, you may have heard of graduate schools in education with a reputation for preparing teachers. Examine qualifications cited in faculty biographies.

Resources for Deeper School Research

• Submit Requests: Round up details about programs that appeal to you. Submit online request for information to individual schools using the WorldWideLearn's general form, which links students to universities based on demographics and subjects, or submit online forms directly to schools that offer Online Literacy & Reading Degree Programs by clicking "get more info" buttons.
• Visit School Websites: Visit the websites of prospective campus and online graduate degree programs in education to harvest details of their programs.
• Contact Literacy Organizations: Visit websites of the Department of Education's National Institute for Literacy, or use the links and resources of the International Literacy Institute at Literacy.org.

Step 3: Finalizing Candidates for the Right Campus or Online Graduate School

Objective: Now you're ready to make a list of programs that deliver courses and degrees that fit your must-have requirements to meet your career objectives. You can attend school on campus or earn a master's degree online. Each program has distinct differences, either in the teaching focus, educational experience, philosophy, and literacy specializations. Here's a good way to evaluate the list of favorites using solid criteria:

• Facilities. Can you conduct the necessary research and scholarship at this school? What is the availability of campus or online libraries, statistical databases, reading and literacy technology, or teaching laboratories?
• Program History/Reputation. When was the master's degree program founded? Does it have collaborative alliances with literacy organizations or other institutions? Is it ranked high among literacy or teaching organizations? Are admissions competitive?
• Funding. Does the degree program offer financial aid in the form of loans, grants, scholarships, teaching stipends? Compute the total cost for tuition, student fees, the cost of living or commuting, and the total number of credit hours required to complete your master's degree.
• Graduation/Career Assistance. What percentage of students graduate from the program and how many go into the academic or professional field? Does the college maintain connections with professional education organizations? Is there an ongoing career placement program?

Resources to Narrow the Field

• Contact Admissions Counselors. Each program generally offers chat or telephone assistance with an admissions counselor who can help evaluate your criteria for financial aid, career placement, and admissions (including perquisites and course transfers).
• Rank the Programs. Evaluate graduate programs in education at the U.S. News & World Report's impartial survey of schools, ranked by tuition and academic quality.
• Visit Campuses. You can discover details about the learning atmosphere and professionalism of your prospect on a campus visit. Meet academic and financial aid counselors, speak with faculty and students. For those who have decided to earn a master's degree online, many distance education programs can arrange telephone or chat-room conferences that answer similar questions as well as demonstrate their technology capabilities.

How to Apply to a Master's Degree Program in Education: Literacy & Reading

By now, you should feel pretty comfortable with your short list of acceptable master's degree programs. In the last step, round up application materials and make sure you meet the entry requirements for the top programs on your list.

• Qualifying Entry Exams. Most graduate programs require applicants to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as a qualifying evaluation tool You can learn all about the exam from the Educational Testing Service.
• Degrees and Prerequisites. Master's degree programs in education typically require a completed bachelor's degree and/or related experience. You may be able to satisfy prerequisites effectively through online courses.
• Recommendation Letters. Your top programs may require submission of recommendations from educational professionals or your former professors/instructors attesting to your abilities. Give them plenty of time to comply with your requests.
• Specific Requirements. Programs on your short list may require proof of teaching experience, volunteer work, research, or publications.

Get your GRE out of the way early and start rounding up the other applications materials as soon as possible to speed up the process.

The Vision for You: A Career in Education

Congratulations. You've probably discovered more about your professional goals than you previously imagined. You have evaluated your options and are now positioned to apply to the right graduate school--for you! The federal government has placed a high emphasis on developing early childhood reading and literacy programs. Many adults still lack the ability to read, and many more require education in English as a second language. We need you.

Sources

• Capella University, Master of Science (MS) in Education, Reading and Literacy Specialization
• Educational Testing Service, About the GRE General Test
• International Reading Association, Standards for Reading Professionals
• National Institute for Literacy, Key Literacy Issues
• U.S. Department of Education: Office of Postsecondary Education, Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs
• U.S. News & World Report, Best Education Programs