Master of Education in Reading Education

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Strong literacy skills are essential building blocks for students to succeed in school, and in all aspects of their lives. For a student who can read well, the possibilities are endless! If you want to become a master teacher of reading and help students develop this critical foundation, the UNC Charlotte Master of Education in Reading Education and the Advanced Literacy Instruction & Intervention Certificate Program (ALII) equip graduates with research-based methods to be highly effective teachers.

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The M.Ed. in Reading Education is a 33 credit-hour online program that prepares literacy leaders and qualifies most graduates who hold a North Carolina professional educator’s license for an advanced North Carolina K-12 Reading Education license at the master’s level. The program is designed for classroom teachers, aspiring literacy specialists and others whose work involves literacy education who are interested in improving instructional programs and practices that promote literacy among all learners. We also have an Early Entry program for undergraduate education majors at UNC Charlotte who want to earn up to 12 hours towards the M.Ed. in Reading Education as part of their undergraduate coursework.

For teachers and other educational professionals seeking to advance their skills to meet the reading and litearcy needs of individuals and groups of students, the 12-hour Advanced Literacy Instruction & Intervention Certificate Program (ALII) is a great option! The ALII certificate prepares graduates to use of data to develop reading and writing instruction for all students but especially for striving readers and English Language Learners.

Why choose a UNC Charlotte Graduate Reading Education program?

  • Provides K-12 teachers with skills in using data and current research on literacy to design and implement classroom literacy instruction and interventions. Our students can apply experiential requirements in their own school or classroom or community contexts, so they can apply research-based strategies in a real-world setting without having to leave their work responsibilities.

  • The coursework is totally online, which allows our students flexibility and convenience in scheduling their studies and projects around their work and other commitments. No testing (i.e., MAT and GRE) required.

  • Our faculty are nationally recognized, award-winning experts in the field. They have been recognized for their scholarship, excellence in teaching, community engagement and for their efforts to promote literacy at the local and national levels. They are mentors for our students not only in coursework but also in writing grant proposals and in the research process.

  • Our program aligns with the standards for The International Literacy Association (ILA), a global advocacy and membership organization of 300,000 literacy educators, researchers, and experts across 78 countries, and are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

  • The University is consistently ranked among the top ten universities in the Southeastern USA, offering a wide range of resources and opportunities to help graduate students succeed.

Career Options

The M.Ed. and ALII Certificate are designed for classroom teachers and others who want to implement research-based practices and be a literacy leaders. Our graduates have become literacy facilitators, literacy coaches/mentors, reading coaches, and curriculum specialists.

What graduates are saying about the M.Ed. in Reading at UNC Charlotte

Here’s what graduates of our program say about the program and its impact on their work as educators:

  • This program allowed me to explore so many aspects of literacy from K-12 and has allowed me to offer more differentiation to my students and make my classroom a more equitable learning environment for every individual in my classroom. –Liz Boliek, 2019 Graduate

  • I live and work in a rural school in Southeastern Illinois. Many of my students are significantly behind in reading and writing…and through the online Reading M.Ed. program at UNC Charlotte I gained knowledge in diagnostic assessments and evidence-based approaches to develop differentiated and targeted approaches to reading instruction that would reach my students where they are. –Katie Kiser, 2019 Graduate

  • During my experience at UNC Charlotte, I developed close relationships with the faculty and classmates. To this day, I continue to seek input and advice from classmates in the M.Ed program when faced with professional challenges. The knowledge and skills I obtained from the program opened many doors for me professionally. –Courtney Stallmann, 2015 Graduate

Are you ready to help students develop strong literacy skills? If so, click here to learn more about the requirements for the Advanced Literacy Instruction & Intervention Certificate or here for the Master of Education in Reading Education, graduate student financial aid and the graduate application process.

  • For more information about costs, timelines and applications, see our FAQ page