University of Texas at Arlington College of Education
Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with Literacy Emphasis
Why focus on literacy education? According to the National Literacy Trust, “The importance of literacy has long been recognized; it underpins all educational achievement and is central to economic advancement; it helps develop human potential and raises self-esteem.” Additionally, teaching children to read, write and use language effectively is at the center stage of the American education agenda.
Why choose UTA? The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research, teaching, and public service institution located in the heart of the dynamic Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. UT Arlington is the second largest member of the 15 institutions in the world-renowned University of Texas System and the seventh largest university in Texas.
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What is it like to be a UTTC student? Scott Floyd | |
What does the program involve? In this program, students specialize in advanced coursework designed to meet a variety of professional goals related to literacy. For instance, students may pursue professional certificates including the following.
- Reading Specialist is a national certificate recognized by all states. Literacy coaches generally work with teachers to help them with best literacy practices. Reading Specialist is an advanced certificate that certified teachers may add to their existing credential upon completion of two year’s teaching experience and a master’s degree with at least 27 hours of graduate coursework in literacy.
- English as a Second Language (ESL) is a national certificate. All states have some type of ESL designation. In Texas, ESL is an add-on certificate that individuals with an initial teaching certificate can add to their existing credential with only 12 hours of graduate coursework.
- Master Reading Teacher (MRT) is a Texas only certificate. MRTs work in Title I/low performing schools and tutor struggling readers, and they may also serve as literacy coaches. The MRT sequence includes 9 graduate hours of coursework.
Out of state students seeking certification should refer to the FAQ section below for information about their certification options.
In addition to these professional certificates, students may choose focused coursework in areas including:
- Writing
- Working with culturally and linguistically diverse students
Plus, students have the unique opportunity to complete all but one of the program tracks completely online. (The M.Ed. with Writing Focus I requires six hours of on campus work during the summer.)
View a brochure on the Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction Online Program. Adobe Reader is needed to view the brochure.
Following are just a few of the program track configurations. For a listing of the courses required, click on each link below. To find out when the courses will be offered, link to the course catalog, select the program and click search. Catalog search results will return the schedules for at least two semesters, but not all programs are scheduled that far in advance.
- M.Ed. with Triple Literacy Certificate Focus
Available to: All students
Includes: Reading Specialist, Master Reading Teacher, and English as a Second Language certificates/endorsements (practicum required due to Reading Specialist certificate requirements) - M.Ed. with Reading Specialist
Available to: All students
Includes: Reading Specialist Certificate coursework (with option to apply for MRT after becoming certified as Reading Specialist) - Reading Specialist only
Available to: Students already holding the master’s degree
Includes: Reading Specialist Certificate coursework (with option to apply for MRT after becoming certified as Reading Specialist) - ESL Endorsement only The ESL is a 12-hour, four course program that can be taken as part of this master's degree plan or separately in preparation for the ESL Endorsement TExES Test.
Available to: Students already holding initial teaching certificate or pursuing initial teaching certificate concurrent with ESL coursework.
Includes: ESL endorsement - M.Ed. with ESL Endorsement
- Master Reading Teacher Certificate only
Available to: Students already holding initial teaching certificate or pursuing initial teaching certificate concurrent with MRT coursework.
Includes: MRT certificate - M.Ed. with Master Reading Teacher Certificate
- M.Ed. with Writing Focus I
Available to: Bluebonnet Writing Project participants only. Participants in the Bluebonnet Writing Project must apply and be selected for the experience.
Includes: National Writing Project Summer Institute and additional writing emphasis courses. The six hours for the National Writing Project Summer Institute requires on campus attendance. - M.Ed. with Writing Focus II
Available to: All students excluding National Writing Project participants
Includes: Writing emphasis available completely through online coursework
PARTICIPATING INSTITUTION AND ADVISOR
Dr. Nancy Hadaway
The University of Texas at Arlington
College of Education
Room 414, Hammond Hall
Box 19227
Arlington, TX 76019
Email: hadaway@uta.edu
Phone: (817) 272-2240
M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction Committee
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- How many semester credit hours are required to complete the degree plan? 36 credit hours (12 courses).
- How much will it cost to take a course? Students are billed by UTA for courses. Links to campus tuition and fee information can be found on the cost & financial Information page.
- If I live outside Texas, will the ESL endorsement, Master Reading Teacher Certificate, or Reading Specialist Certificate apply in my state?
The Master Reading Teacher is a unique initiative in Texas. However, most other states have some variation of the ESL endorsement and the Reading Specialist Certificate. However, each state has different certification requirements. It is best to contact your State Board of Education (or other certifying agency) and obtain a statement regarding the requirements and coursework required in your state. We will work with you and the certifying agency in your state to verify course descriptions and content, so that you can take the coursework in our online program and apply it to certification in your state. Click here for more information for out of state students seeking certification http://www.uta.edu/coed/distaneducation/outofstate.php. - Will I have to visit any of the participating campuses? Only the M.Ed. with Writing Focus I has an on-campus attendence requirement. Please see above.
- How do I verify whether or not completion of this Master's program and its associated certifications will qualify me to teach ESL in another state? You should check with that state's accrediting agency to verify the applicability of the courses in their teacher accreditation plan.
- How many courses should I take? You might contact the course instructor prior to registering to obtain an advance copy of the syllabus. Many of the courses require not only the typical reading, research, and other activities, but also intensive electronic interaction. The electronic interaction (posting original reflections to course content, reading fellow students' postings, and replying to those) will require quite a time commitment from you. So, you should carefully weigh your existing commitments in terms of work, family, and personal life and consider how much time you will have to devote to coursework and all the "new and additional" requirements involved in taking a course online.
GETTING STARTED
The admission requirements for this program are the same for all of UTA's graduate programs. You may be admitted to the program in two ways. In order to complete the Master's degree, you must be fully admitted to the Graduate School. Carefully read the following guidelines for admission, then choose the type most appropriate for you.
Special Student - Non-Degree Seeking
Admission as a special student is only appropriate in specific circumstances:
Special student status characteristics:
Students seeking certification only must complete the following for admission and forward them to the Graduate School at:
Dean of Graduate Studies
The University of Texas at Arlington
Box 19167
Arlington, TX 76019-0167
- application http://grad.uta.edu/EM/AdmissionCounselor.asp
- application fee
- official transcripts from all universities attended
Minimum criteria for admission for non-degree (special student) status include a bachelor’s degree and 3.0 GPA or better on their last 60 hours as calculated by Graduate Admissions.
Students seeking admission to the M.Ed. must submit the following to the Graduate School at:
Dean of Graduate Studies
The University of Texas at Arlington
Box 19167
Arlington, TX 76019-0167
- application http://grad.uta.edu/EM/AdmissionCounselor.asp
- application fee
- official transcripts from all universities attended
- GRE scores www.gre.org
- TOEFL score for international students, minimum score of 213 caacs@uta.edu
Students seeking admission to the M.Ed. must submit the following to the College of Education at:
College of Education
Graduate Advisor
The University of Texas at Arlington
Box 19026
Arlington, TX 76019-0227
- 3 letters of recommendation
- personal statement to College of Education
Master’s degree seeking students must have a 3.0 GPA on their last 60 hours of the baccalaureate degree courses as calculated by Graduate Admissions (to include additional undergraduate hours taken beyond your Bachelor's degree in this calculation, students must submit a written request to graduate school admissions) and a GRE score of 500 verbal and 400 quantitative score for Unconditional Admission.
Please note Admission deadlines. For more information email the graduate advisor, Dr. Nancy Hadaway. For information on admissions, registration and course access procedures, please see Enrollment Services.