Master of Education in Literacy Education

Website: https://twu.edu/literacy-and-learning/graduate-programs/masters-in-reading-education/

The Master of Education in Literacy Education degree (M.Ed.) is designed to provide graduate students with a comprehensive understanding of literacy education. The program includes required master's coursework that emphasizes the application of theory and research to the processes and practices of literacy instruction, enabling students to gain the knowledge and skills needed to evaluation and develop effective literacy programs.

Completed during the final course, the capstone experience allows students to create a digital professional portfolio that showcases their learning and their ability to apply their learning practically to their teaching.

Optional to this degree, upon completion of required coursework and all TEA requirements, graduate students may be eligible to take the Texas All-Level (EC-12) Reading Specialist Certification exam. This is a state-level educator professional certification awarded by the State of Texas after all requirements are met. This is not a graduate certificate.
 
If this optional certification is to be pursued, the TWU Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Graduate Professional Certification Application must be completed prior to beginning the coursework. Admission requirements for the Reading Specialist professional certification program are:
  1. 2 years as a full-time classroom teacher of record in public or private, accredited school
  2. 3.0 in last 60 hours. 2.75 overall
  3. TOEFL iBT score if bachelor’s degree was earned out of the US in a country not approved by TEA
To be eligible to take the exam, students must complete the required coursework and pass the practice exam. In order to be recommended for certification, all coursework must be completed, including a 160 hour practicum, the TExES certification exam must be passed, and the master's degree must be posted to the transcript (if applicable).
 
Students who already hold a master's degree are required to complete
the TWU Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Graduate Professional Certification Application  prior to beginning the coursework. Admission requirements for the  program are:
  1. 2 years as a full-time classroom teacher of record in public or private, accredited school
  2. 3.0 in last 60 hours. 2.75 overall
  3. TOEFL iBT score if bachelor’s degree was earned out of the US in a country not approved by TEA
To be eligible to take the exam, students must complete the required coursework and pass the practice exam. In order to be recommended for certification, all coursework must be completed, including a 160 hour, supervised practicum, and the TExES certification exam must be passed.

Marketable Skills

Defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30 Strategic Plan as, "Those skills valued by employers that can be applied in a variety of work settings, including interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills areas. These skills can be either primary or complementary to a major and are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities."

  1. Evaluate theories and research about the processes and practices of literacy instruction.
  2. Apply knowledge of a variety of instructional approaches, including technology, to create an environment that supports literacy learning.
  3. Apply understandings of how diversity affects and enriches the literacy development of students.
  4. Apply leadership skills that support communication and collaboration around issues related to literacy learning with the school, parents, and community.

Admissions

All students must meet the University requirements as outlined in the Admission to the TWU Graduate School section of the catalog.

The academic program may have additional admission criteria that must also be completed as outlined on the program's website.

Degree Requirements

Total Semester Credit Hours Required

30 semester credit hours (SCH), including 3 seminar hours in literacy research culminating in an electronic professional portfolio. No grade below a B is accepted toward the master’s degree.

Fall 1
Required Orientation Saturday in August
READ 5423Literacy: Practice to Theory3
READ 5503Phonological and Orthographic Language Systems in Literacy Learning3
Spring 1
READ 5443Literacy: Assessment and Instruction3
READ 5453Processes and Strategies for Comprehending Texts3
Summer 1
READ 5513Literacy and the Diverse Learner3
READ 5343Bridging Multimodal Composing and Children's/Young Adult Literature3
Fall 2
READ 5493Research in Literacy: Responsive Action in Schools3
READ 5523Literacy Leadership and Program Development3
Spring 2
READ 5963Seminar in Literacy Research3
READ 5463Practicum in Literacy: Analysis of Teaching and Mentoring3
Total SCHs30

Final Examination

The capstone experience is a professional digital portfolio.