The Master of Arts in Literacy is an advanced 30-credit master’s degree program for K-6 elementary or 7-12 secondary classroom teachers, supervisors, administrators, librarians, and community educators. Advanced coursework on current theory and research in the fields of reading and literacy prepares candidates for the challenges of diverse student populations through practice-oriented strategies for assessment, strategies for engaging diverse learners with multicultural literature, and integration of technology and literacy. The cohort format of the program provides multiple opportunities to collaborate with educators throughout the 30-credit course curriculum, which concludes with a capstone project, a culminating experience designed to focus on integration major concepts of literacy learning and implications for classroom practice. The capstone project is embedded in the final courses of the two-year program.
Program Outcomes
Through the Literacy MA, candidates will:
- Create and complete a collaborative field-based program that makes connections between contemporary literacy policy, theory and research in the context of diverse schools and communities.
- Bring together critical perspectives of literacy that develop socially just and diverse modes of understanding in a print & technology rich world.
- Be prepared to 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 capstone project as a culminating experience in order to meet the university Master of Arts requirement.
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