Reading Education, M.Ed.
Dr. Emily Dean, Program Director
Admission Criteria
Applicants for the Master of Education degree must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university. Admission to graduate study in gifted and talented education and reading specialist requires meeting two of the three academic standards as listed below and receiving the endorsement of the program director.
Academic Standards
- GPA of 3.00 in all upper-level course work (junior and senior level courses) or overall undergraduate GPA of 2.70.
- GPA of 3.00 in all undergraduate course work appropriate to the intended field of study.
- Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score at or above the 50th percentile on the verbal sub-test.
Departmental Endorsement
Admission to the program requires review and recommendation by the director of the program via a personal interview. All undergraduate prerequisites and/or transfer work must be approved by the director of the program and the dean of the school or college that houses the academic program.
Courses
By action of the Graduate Council and graduate faculty, all students must have a minimum of 50% of their curriculum in 6000 level courses.
Curriculum
Reading Specialist Education (READ)
Students majoring in reading specialist education will complete the 30 semester hours listed below and 160 internship hours.
Core Requirements:
Content Requirements:
| READ 6307 | Change in Reading Instruction: Trends &, Issues | 3 |
| READ 6308 | Assess/Inst I: Emergent Reader | 3 |
| READ 6309 | Assessment, Instruction and Literacy II, And the Developing Reader | 3 |
| READ 6310 | Directing Reading Instruction | 3 |
| READ 6312 | Child & Young Adult Lit | 3 |
| READ 6315 | The Reading Specialist | 3 |
| READ 6319 | Assessment/Instruction III the Disable | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 30
Master Reading Teacher Certificate
The master reading teacher is an individual who holds a Master Reading Teacher Certificate (MRTC) and whose primary duties are to teach reading and to serve as a reading mentor to other teachers. The Master Reading Teacher Certificate has been implemented as part of the Texas Reading Initiative to ensure that all Texas students are reading on grade level by the end of the third grade and that the reading knowledge and skills grow throughout their public school careers. The MRTC may be obtained in two ways:
- An individual who holds a Reading Specialist Certificate must complete an SBEC approved Master Reading Teacher preparation program.
- An individual must have a teaching certificate, at least three years of teaching experience, completed an SBEC approved Master Reading Teacher program, and pass the Master Reading Teacher Certification Exam.
At Hardin-Simmons, the master reading teacher candidate must complete 15 designated semester hours of reading instruction and 160 internship hours. Courses are READ 6307, READ 6308, READ 6309, READ 6310, and READ 6315. These 15 hours may be applied to the Reading Specialist Education Master of Education degree if the candidate pursues this master’s degree upon completion of the MRTC. The program director for the Reading Specialist graduate degree and MRTC will advise the candidate appropriately.
Comprehensive Exam
A written and/or oral comprehensive exam is a requirement of all MEd candidates. The exam(s) should be scheduled with the graduate advisor during the last semester of course work. The content of the exam will be determined by the comprehensive exam committee composed of three faculty members recommended by the program director and approved by the dean of the school or college that houses the academic program.
Graduation Requirements
Successful completion of the 30 graduate semester hour academic requirements, followed by the successful completion of the comprehensive examination, fulfills the graduation requirement for the Master of Education degree in Gifted and Talented Education or Reading Specialist Education.
Time Limit
All requirements for the Master of Education degree in gifted and talented education or reading specialist education must be completed within five years from the semester of initial admission.