University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

M.Ed. - Literacy Education Online

This program is offered through UTEP Connect.

The goal of the M.Ed. in Literacy Education is to prepare literacy leaders for diverse PK-12 contexts as well as other educational settings. The program includes 36 credit hours, or 12 courses, at the graduate level, culminating in a research-to-practice capstone experience in RED 5349: Literacy Education Practicum.

Courses in the degree plan consist of the following:

  • Professional Development Core: 9 hours from RED 5300 Foundation of Lit Ed in Div CoTED 5301 Learning Contexts & Curriculum and TED 5313 Diversity in Educ. Settings.
  • Literacy Specialization Area: 12 hours from RED 5341 Assessment/Teaching of Reading; RED 5350 Mentoring/Coaching Lit Educ; RED 5351 Literacy/Biliteracy Developmnt; RED 5353 Lang Study for Literacy Educ.
  • Resource Area: 9 hours from RED 5354 Resp. to Children's Literature; RED 5355 Youth Literacies and Multimoda; RED 5356 Teach Writng w/Div K-12 Lrnrs; ECED 5353 Early Lit/Multi-Lit Dev & Curr.
  • Electives: 3 hours from RED 5340 Curr Topics-Reading Education;RED 5342 Content Literacy ; BED 5331 Found of Bil and Teach Emr Bilor another 3-hour graduate-level course;
  • Capstone: RED 5349 Literacy Education Practicum
  • Comprehensive Exam: Complete exam plus 3-hour graduate-level course related to specialization.  

This degree plan provides the coursework that follows the State Board of Educator Certification guidelines for additional certifications. In pursuing this degree plan. Students have the opportunity to apply for an additional Texas certification(s): (1) Reading Specialist - All Levels; and (2) Master Reading Teacher (MRT). More information about certification requirements can be found at http://academics.utep.edu/tedgrad and at the websites listed below.

  • State certification requirements for the Reading Specialist can be found here
  • State certification requirements for the Master Reading Teacher (MRT) can be found here.

Admissions Requirements

  • A satisfactory undergraduate grade point average (GPA) 3.0;
  • A current resume;
  • A written statement by the applicant describing personal and professional goals as related to the focus of the M.Ed. program in Literacy Education;
  • Applicants from countries where English is not the first language are required to demonstrate English proficiency. Please consult the graduate school website for required scores.

The admission factors will be reviewed holistically to assess the potential of the applicant.  The successful applicant would typically have an undergraduate upper-division GPA of 3.0 or higher that demonstrates focus on academics, a current resume that demonstrates basic knowledge in education, and a written statement that demonstrates maturity and commitment to reading education.

This degree plan provides the coursework that follows the State Board of Educator Certification guidelines for additional professional certification in Reading Specialist. Professional certification requirements for Texas Reading Specialist include the following:

  • Texas teacher certification
  • Minimum of three years of teaching experience
  • 160-hour internship (completed as part of the practicum)
  • Three formal observation cycles completed by Field Supervisor (completed as part of the practicum)
  • Successful completion of TExES Reading Specialist (#151) exam after all other requirements have been met and candidate has been recommended for testing.

In addition to successful completion of their coursework, students pursuing the M.Ed. in Literacy Education must demonstrate mastery of literacy education content and pedagogy by successfully completing the Literacy Education Practicum (RED 5349).

More specific information on all Teacher Education Graduate Programs in the department's website

Degree Plan

Required Credits: 36

Literacy Education Program (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Professional Development Core
Required Courses:
TED 5301Learning Contexts & Curriculum3
TED 5313Diversity in Educ. Settings3
RED 5300Foundation of Lit Ed in Div Co3
Literacy Specialization Area:
RED 5341Assessment/Teaching of Reading3
RED 5350Mentoring/Coaching Lit Educ3
RED 5351Literacy/Biliteracy Developmnt3
RED 5353Lang Study for Literacy Educ3
Resource Area
Select three of the following:9
Early Lit/Multi-Lit Dev & Curr
Resp. to Children's Literature
Youth Literacies and Multimoda
Teach Writng w/Div K-12 Lrnrs
Electives
Select one of the following:3
Found of Bil and Teach Emr Bil
Curr Topics-Reading Education
Content Literacy
Capstone
RED 5349Literacy Education Practicum3
Total Hours36