Reading Education

General Information

The Department of Reading Education offers the following advanced degree programs: Master of Education (M.Ed.), Master of Arts (M.A.), Educational Specialist (Ed.S.), Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). Each degree is designed to meet the needs of a particular constituency.

M.Ed.
The M.Ed. degree is primarily for Kindergarten through Secondary School teachers who are interested in becoming certified as reading specialists by the state of Georgia and any state having similar certification requirements.

M.A.
The M.A. degree is primarily for students who are interested in advanced knowledge about literacy and are not certified teachers. State certification is not provided in this program. A thesis is required for the M.A. degree but not for the M.Ed.

Ed.S.
The Ed.S. degree is for educators who have a Masters degree but who wish to go further in their study of literacy. The Ed.S. degree leads to a sixth year certification as a reading specialist by the state of Georgia and any states having similar certification requirements.

Ed.D.
The Ed.D. is for students with a masters or specialist degree who desire a terminal degree that will enable them to fulfill a leadership role in translating research to practice (e.g., a curriculum coordinator in a large school district or a faculty position in a college or small university).

Ph.D.
The Ph.D. degree is for students with a masters or specialist degree who desire a terminal degree that will enable them to engage in scholarly research and publication, usually at a major research university. A dissertation is required for the Ed.D. and the Ph.D.

State of Georgia Reading Endorsement
In addition to degree programs that lead to state certification as a Reading Specialist, the Department offers three courses that qualify a student to add a reading endorsement to any K-12 teaching certificate. The endorsement may be pursued by non-degree students seeking only the endorsement, or it may be pursued by students in other degree programs who wish to seek the endorsement by integrating the appropriate three reading courses into their programs of study.

There are several options for obtaining the Reading Endorsement. The one most relevant to UGA students is to take 3 graduate courses in the Department of Reading Education. The Department has been approved by the Professional Standards Commission to offer the Endorsement after a student has completed the following 3 courses:

READ 6010 Foundations of Reading Instruction
READ 6020 Children With Reading Problems (a clinic-based course)

and One of the following courses depending upon whether the Endorsement is sought respectively at the elementary, middle, or secondary school level:

READ 6420 Literacy Development and Instruction in Early Childhood
READ 6070 Middle School Reading
READ 6030 Teaching Reading in the Secondary School