Join us and elevate your career and earning power with a Master of Arts in Literacy, an advanced 30-credit master’s degree program for K-6 elementary or 7-12 secondary classroom teachers, supervisors, administrators, librarians, and community educators. If you are seeking current knowledge in literacy research, practice and policy this program can be tailored to your background, interests and time constraints. It is a unique program in the Department of Education, as each candidate’s program is individually designed with a faculty advisor. For example, programs may be designed to include emphasis on children’s literature, emergent literacy, diagnosis or the writing process. In this way the M.A. in Literacy, provides advanced coursework on current theory and research in the fields of reading and literacy. As a result, we believe you will be ready to meet any challenge in intellectual leadership as a change agent in our diverse world of literacy.
Program Outcomes
- Create and complete an unique and individual collaborative field-based program that makes connections between contemporary literacy policy, theory and research and its ultimate use in the school or community.
- Formulate a process to bring together critical perspectives of literacy that develop socially just and diverse modes of understanding in a print & technology rich world.
- Influence educational excellence for literacy education as well as diversity and social justice for all.
Acceptance requirements
- Admission application and nonrefundable $50 admission fee
- A conferred bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
- A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.67
- Two official transcripts of all undergraduate work and any prior graduate work
- Two letters of recommendation accompanied by the Letter of Recommendation Cover sheet www.usj.edu/gradforms. Note: Recommendations must be obtained from individuals who are not family members, personal friends or members of the USJ Department of Education.
- A letter of intent.
Continuation requirements
Candidates must earn a C or better in all courses for continuous progress through the program. After 12 credits, candidates must maintain a GPA of 2.67 or higher throughout the program.
Exit requirements
Students must complete a comprehensive evaluation to meet the university Master of Arts requirement.
