Our PhD in Reading Education prepares you for a well-rounded career teaching children and adults to read and write in classrooms, clinical settings and university programs, and conducting and evaluating research. You’ll gain a solid foundation in: learning theory, language development, literature, composition, comprehension, word recognition diagnosis and correction of reading performance, theoretical models of reading, and a historical perspective on reading and language arts. We also draw from diverse fields such as linguistics, psychology, psychometrics and educational psychology.

We also offer an M.A.T. in Reading program, which prepares current classroom teachers to facilitate the literacy needs of young children, adolescents and adults. You’ll learn to work effectively and efficiently in settings where class sizes range from 5 to 40 or more learners. As a currently certified teacher, the program allows you to add Michigan endorsement as a Classroom Reading Teacher, Language Arts Teacher or building-level Reading Specialist. Program requirements and elective options vary according to your intended endorsement program. The program is offered at OU’s main campus and at Macomb University Center. Early childhood educators interested in reading and language arts may pursue this M.A.T. program in conjunction with the early childhood endorsement (ZA) program. The Reading and Language Arts Department is committed to offering a program of study that prepares you to conduct and evaluate research, to master the art of teaching children and adults to read and write, and to understand and appreciate the wealth of knowledge that related disciplines can contribute to literacy instruction.

A Post-master's certificate in Reading, Language Arts and Literature and teaching endorsements in Reading are also available.