Master of Education in Reading Education

Admission Requirements

For the M.Ed., teacher licensure at one of the following levels: early childhood, elementary, middle or secondary education, or a baccalaureate degree in another field of study is required.

The Reading Education program follows the School of Graduate Studies requirements for a cumulative undergraduate minimum grade point average of 2.75 or a junior/senior year minimum grade point average of 3.00. Applicants must satisfy the School of Graduate Studies’ English Language Proficiency requirements as listed in the Graduate Academic Information section of the graduate catalog. Transcripts, recommendations, and a personal statement, i.e., a response to three essay prompts, are part of the School of Graduate Studies and Reading Education application procedure. The personal statement essay should be three pages in length and the prompts are:

  1. Describe your professional background, especially as it relates to teaching reading, writing and other areas of reading/language arts.
  2. What characteristics and strengths do you possess that make you a good candidate for this degree program?
  3. Discuss your professional goals.

Refer to the School of Graduate Studies Admissions and the Education Admissions Process sections of the graduate catalog for additional information on degree and application requirements and procedures.

Degree Requirements

The M.Ed. degree requirements are based on the following components:

  1. Core Requirements for the Reading Education major and literacy education electives: The courses in the major engage students in learning content about diverse readers, writers, and speakers; curriculum, methods of teaching and assessing; literacy theory and foundations; and professional perspective. T&L 583 Reading Clinic, one of the Core Requirements, involves students in a practicum experience in which they work with readers to apply their core knowledge about teaching literacy to diverse readers.
  2. Cognate: Cognate courses are a selection of courses providing broad support to the major.
  3. Foundations:  Foundations content supports exploration of progressive education, issues in education and the field of literacy, and affirmation of diversity.

The M.Ed. Reading Education degree program requires coursework in three areas: The major (reading education), cognate, i.e., coursework that supplements the major, and foundations of education.The program culminates in T&L 995 Scholarly Project or T&L 997 Independent Study. With careful planning, most students can meet the course requirements for the North Dakota Reading Credential.

The credit hours for the M.Ed., Reading Education consist of:

T&L 524Reading in the Content Areas2
T&L 525Writing in the Classroom3
T&L 530Foundations of Reading Instruction3
T&L 534Basic Reading Diagnosis and Remediation2
T&L 536Innovations in English Language Arts Instruction3
T&L 583Reading Clinic (corequisite with T&L 534)2
Select one of the following:3
Children's and Young Adult Literature in the Classroom
Early Literacy Development and Instruction
Leading K-12 Educator Learning
Secondary English Language Arts Literacy Instruction
T&L 995Scholarly Project2
or T&L 997 Independent Study
Cognate
Sample choices:6
Action Research
Inclusive Methods
Theory and Philosophies of Curriculum in Schools
Assessment of Learning
Curriculum and Methods for Teaching STEM
Social Studies in the Elementary School
Mathematics in the Elementary School
Play in Development and Early Childhood Education
Language Development Cognition in Children
Collaborative Relationships: Home, School and Community
Other courses are suited to the cognate to this area, e.g., English Language Learner courses; courses outside of the department and college may also be acceptable; consult with your advisor.
Educational Foundations
EFR 500Introduction to the Foundations of Education3
Select one of the following:3
Multicultural Education
Psychological Foundations of Education
Issues and Trends in Education
History of American Education Policy and Reform
Philosophical Foundations of Education
Educational Equity and Social Change in Schooling
Gender, Education and the Environment
Advanced Ethnographic Methodology: Inquiry into Culture
Total Credits32