About The Program
We meet your passion for lifelong reading education and embrace literacy practices from kindergartners to adult learners. During the K-12 Reading Specialist Concentration in the Master of Education in Reading program, you'll complete a reading portfolio documenting your work, implement an action research project and practice coaching skills. Our courses include psycholinguistics, word study, media literacy and more. Applicants must have an active renewable teaching license and three years of successful classroom experience, where reading instruction was an important responsibility.
Career Paths
- Reading Specialist
- Literacy Coach
- Reading Interventionist
- Literacy Program Coordinator
- Title I Reading Teacher
- Remedial Reading Teacher
- Reading Curriculum Developer
- Reading Assessment Specialist
- Reading Tutor
- Elementary or Secondary Reading Teacher
- Educational Consultant (specializing in literacy)
- Literacy Advocate
- Instructional Coach (focusing on literacy)
- Reading Clinic Director
- Literacy Program Director
- Academic Coach
- Education Researcher (focusing on literacy)
- Literacy Outreach Coordinator
- Professional Development Trainer (specializing in reading)
- Reading Lab Instructor
At a Glance
Degree Earned
Master of Education (M.Ed.)
Credits: 33
Application Semesters and Deadlines
Fall / Summer: April 15
Spring: December 1
Program Modality
Online and in-person*
*A minimum number of students is required to administer an in-person cohort.
Estimated Completion Time
Full-time (9-15 credits): average completion in 3 semesters
Part-time (1-8 credits): average completion in 5 semesters
Learn more in this 11-minute information session video.
“I applied to four Virginia colleges as an undergrad...When I visited the other schools, I noticed that everyone there looked the same. Meanwhile, VCU SOE and Richmond Public Schools had the diversity that I was looking for.”
- Anna Martinez, M.Ed., '21
The School of Education (SOE) degree programs that lead to professional licensure are designed to prepare students to meet the requirements for professional licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia as outlined by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). The SOE has determined that the curriculum includes applicable educational prerequisites for the following professional licensure(s) and/or certification(s) as outlined on this page of our website.