About The Program
Interested in gaining state licensure as a reading specialist in kindergarten through high school settings? Our program provides you with the skills to understand the reading language learning process, apply and adapt reading instructional strategies and to implement school-wide developmental, creative and intervention reading programs.
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
Post-Master's Certificate
Credits: 21
Application Semesters and Deadlines
Fall and Summer: February 1
Spring: October 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
Applicants must have at least three years of teaching experience in a reading-related field setting to be recommended to Virginia's Department of Education for endorsement as a reading specialist.
Admission requirements
| Degree: | Semester(s) of entry: | Deadline dates: | Test requirements: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Fall | Feb 1 | |
| Spring | Oct 1 | ||
| Summer | Feb 1 |
In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the following requirements represent the minimum acceptable standards for admission:
- Master’s degree in any specialty area related to education
- Must have an active renewable teaching license
- Have at least three years of successful classroom teaching experience in which the teaching of reading was an important responsibility
- Three letters of recommendation addressing the student’s potential for graduate study in education
- Statement of intent
- Transcripts of all previous college work
Please visit the School of Education website for further information.
Degree requirements
In addition to general VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students are required to complete course work in core and elective courses.
- Credit hour requirements: Students are required to complete a minimum of 21 credit hours.
- Grade requirements: Receipt of a grade of C or below in two courses constitutes automatic dismissal from the program. Courses with a grade below C cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.
- Testing requirements: Students must present passing scores on state-mandated licensure/endorsement assessments for graduation.
- Endorsement requirements: Students must meet all Virginia Department of Education requirements to be recommended for endorsement.
Curriculum requirements
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| READ 600 READ 600. Analysis and Correction of Reading Problems. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prerequisite: TEDU 561 or permission of instructor. An analysis of factors relating to reading difficulty. Diagnostic testing procedures and instructional strategies appropriate for the reading specialist in clinical and classroom settings will be emphasized. | Analysis and Correction of Reading Problems | 3 |
| READ 605 READ 605. Organizing and Implementing Reading Programs. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Integrates reading theory with program implementation. Analyzes the role of reading specialist as related to program design, assessment, supervision, instruction, and resource responsibilities. Includes specific field-based requirements. | Organizing and Implementing Reading Programs | 3 |
| READ 672 READ 672. Internship. 1-6 Hours.
Semester course; 1-6 field experience hours. 1-6 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credits. Prerequisites: READ 600 and TEDU 561. Study and integration of theory with practice in clinical or off-campus settings supervised by an approved professional and university faculty. May include seminars, selected readings, projects and other activities designed and evaluated by supervising faculty. This course includes site-based requirements. | Internship | 3 |
| READ 700 READ 700. Externship. 1-6 Hours.
Semester course; 1-6 field experience hours. 1-6 credits. May be repeated for a maximum of 9 credits. Prerequisite: READ 605. Plan of work designed by extern with prior approval of the offering department. State certification or equivalent may be required for some externships. Off-campus planned experiences for advanced graduate students designed to extend professional competencies, carried out in a setting, under supervision of an approved professional. Externship activities monitored and evaluated by university faculty. This course includes site-based requirements. Graded as Pass/Fail. | Externship | 3 |
| TEDU 561 TEDU 561. Literacy Foundations: Sociological/Psychological Perspectives. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. The purpose of this course is to provide a basic understanding of the theories, processes and methodologies of reading instruction. Multidisciplinary, multicultural aspects of reading instruction are stressed. Topics of particular importance to the classroom teacher are emphasized, including reading, writing, listening and speaking, and digital literacies. | Literacy Foundations: Sociological/Psychological Perspectives | 3 |
| TEDU 562 TEDU 562. Reading Instruction in the Content Areas. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Prepares teachers to apply skills and methods of reading instruction to content areas in elementary, middle and secondary school curricula. Includes theoretical bases and methodology for incorporating reading skills and strategies within content areas of instruction. | Reading Instruction in the Content Areas | 3 |
| Approved literacy elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
TEDU 525 TEDU 525. Teaching Language Arts. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Teaching techniques and materials for the developmental teaching of communication skills. Students will explore significant research and current literature related to content, organization and instruction in language arts for the elementary and middle schools. | Teaching Language Arts | |
TEDU 526 TEDU 526. Word Study. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Integrates the linguistic, historical, theoretical and research bases of developmental spelling and word knowledge (phonics, phonemic awareness and vocabulary). A primary focus is on the stages of spelling development, including assessment and instruction of orthographic knowledge at each stage. | Word Study | |
TEDU 531 TEDU 531. Media Literacy in the K-12 Classroom. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Offered in online and traditional formats. Explores the role of media in society and methods for incorporating media literacy instruction in the K-12 school classroom. Participants will study the foundations of media literacy, critical thinking and the ways media shapes our views of culture, society and education. Through hands-on activities and projects, participants will become familiar with a variety of media tools and instructional methods for utilizing media to support student learning. Participants will research methods for assessing student learning when using paper-based and digital media. | Media Literacy in the K-12 Classroom | |
TEDU/ENGL/LING 552 TEDU 552. Methods for Teaching Multilingual Learners. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Provides students who plan to teach people whose native language is not English with a variety of instructional/learning strategies. Presents and explores current approaches and methodology, as these relate to linguistic features and pedagogy. Crosslisted as: ENGL 552/LING 552. | Methods for Teaching Multilingual Learners | |
TEDU 683 TEDU 683. ESL Assessment and Trends. 3 Hours.
Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online, face-to-face or hybrid). 3 credits. Provides future ESOL teachers with the ESL trends and assessment practices in K-12 settings including specific skills regarding instruction, evaluation, assessment and test construction for English learners. Examines policies that influence assessment and the role of standards in assessment. | ESL Assessment and Trends | |
| Total Hours | 21 | |
The minimum number of graduate credit hours required for this certificate is 21.
The VCU Bulletin is the official source for academic course and program information.
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.