United States Masters Degree in Reading & Literacy Education Online

• What Do I Want To Do? – In other words, consider your goals. Are you trying to position yourself for a new position—say, as a reading specialist, an instructional coordinator, or in administration? Or are you more interested working as a classroom teacher? Different programs may support your career in different ways, so identifying a specific goal may be a useful way to narrow down your options.
• What Do I Need To Learn? – Think about your strengths and weaknesses, or even the needs of your students. If you have specific things you want to work on—for example, learning new techniques to help English Language Learners increase their reading and writing skills, teaching diverse classrooms, or becoming more familiar with current literacy research—that could inform which programs may be a good fit for you.
• Who Would Be Teaching Me? – One detail to be aware of is that, if your online program is associated with a campus program, the faculty you learn from may not be exactly the same. While often the same professors teach the online classes as the campus ones, that’s not always the case. Make yourself familiar with the people you’ll be learning from, to ensure that their experience supports your educational and career goals.
• What Support Is Offered? – While you may not be associated with a physical campus in an online program, you could still have access to a variety of similar services. This can include library services like online research databases, tutoring, academic and career counseling, and more. But the specific things that might be offered could vary from school to school, so make sure you are familiar with what is being offered.
• What Does My State Require? – If you’re looking for programs that help you complete certification requirements or that confer teaching endorsements, make sure you are aware of the requirements for those credentials in the state where you’ll work. Since online programs may not be limited to ones in your area, you might need to double check that the programs you’re looking at will be compatible with your needs.

Feel free to add any other preferences or concerns to the above list when making your selections. By considering these and other things, you could narrow down your list of potential online schools to the ones that might help you succeed most effectively.

Masters in Literacy vs. Masters in Reading Education

In many contexts, the terms “literacy” and “reading,” might be used interchangeably. So how do you tell the difference between potential masters programs? Literacy and reading masters programs may have a variety of elements in common. Both focus on helping students become better readers and writers. Both might support roles in the classroom or coaching students individually.

But there may be a few differences, as well. In general, reading education or reading specialist masters programs may focus on honing your skills to work directly with students, either as a classroom teacher or as push in/pull out support to help struggling students succeed. Literacy masters programs, meanwhile, might encompass a somewhat broader spectrum. While some online masters in literacy programs may focus on working as a teacher or coaching individual students who need extra help, other programs might take a different approach. For example, while earning your masters degree in literacy education, you might learn about developing a curriculum to support literacy throughout a school, provide teacher education and training regarding student literacy, or even make and apply educational policy decisions at the district or state level.

Of course, keep in mind that these distinctions may vary from case to case. Follow up for more details with the programs you’re considering to make sure they suit your needs.

Find Your Online Masters in Reading and Literacy Today!

If you’re ready to begin your search, start browsing the sponsored listings for online reading masters programs and online literacy programs now! If you think you might be interested in a program, click on it to read more, and reach out to them to answer any questions. Then submit your application. It’s that simple! Don’t wait too long to get the online masters in reading and literacy you’ve been looking for.