Doctoral Program in Reading Education
 

 

The Ph.D. program in Reading Education is designed to prepare future leaders in reading education for implementing a variety of professional roles. Individual programs of study -- with concentrations in research, teaching, and supervision of reading programs -- are developed to meet the needs of each student. Positions held by graduates of the Ph.D. Program in Reading Education include:

  • university and college research and teaching faculty
  • teachers of literacy at early childhood, elementary, middle school, secondary school, and post secondary school levels
  • administrators, advisors, and consultants to literacy programs at state, regional, district, and school levels
  • literacy and educational policy makers at local, state, and national government levels
  • developers of educational materials and curriculum in the public and private sector
                                     

What does the program involve? 

All programs in the College of Education include coursework in research methods. In addition, there are departmental requirements in Curriculum and Instruction. The majority of your graduate study will involve intensive coursework in the field of reading. All programs are planned with the student's career objectives as a priority.

Who are the faculty ? 

We have a nationally and internationally respected faculty in reading and related fields. Academic advisors in our program are:

                            Peter P. Afflerbach, Professor, Ph.D., State University of New York at Albany
                            Marilyn Chambliss, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Stanford University
                            Rose Marie Codling, Lecturer, Ph.D., University of Maryland College Park
                            Mariam Jean Dreher, Professor, Ph.D., University of California, Riverside
                            Elizabeth Marshall, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., The Ohio State University
                            Olivia N. Saracho, Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois
                            Jennifer Danridge Turner, Assistant Professor, Ph.D., Michigan State University

Faculty in associated programs include:

                          Patricia Alexander, Professor, Ph.D., University of Maryland College Park
                          John T. Guthrie, Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois
                          John O'Flahavan, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois
                          Rebecca Oxford, Professor, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
                          Wayne H. Slater, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
                          Linda Valli, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison
                          Bruce VanSledright, Professor, Ph.D., Michigan State University
                          Allan Wigfield, Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois

What does the program require ?

The Ph.D. program in reading education requires a minimum of 45 graduate semester hours beyond the master's degree. Students are encouraged to take courses outside of the College of Education in such departments as psychology, linguistics, philosophy and speech, as appropriate to their research plans. The program content is continuously evolving as a result of individual faculty research programs in relation to the International Reading Association guidelines and standards. Program requirements are listed below.

            Department Core Requirements: (minimum 18 credits) more info...

             Research (minimum 6 credits)
             Recommended: EDCI 684 and EDMS 646

              Teaching and Learning (minimum 6 credits)
              Recommended: EDCI 780
              Also acceptable: courses outside the specialty area such as EDCI 673 (Assessing, Diagnosing and Teaching Writing), EDCI      
              764 (writing Across the Curriculum) and EDCI 732 (Psycholinguistic Theory in Second Language Acquisition) in consultation  
              with faculty advisor.

              Diversity (minimum 3 credits)
              Recommended: EDCI 776 (Urban Education)
              If approved by the Graduate Committee, other courses in diversity in this and other departments.

              Specialty and Advanced Research Courses (minimum 15 credits

Required Specialty (minimum 12 credits):


EDCI 769a        Theory and Research in Reading
EDCI 769b       Theory and Research in Reading
EDCI 860         Seminar in Reading Education
EDCI 861         Research Methods in Reading

Electives (minimum 15 credits)

Other courses in the specialty such as:


EDCI 660    Diagnostic Reading Instruction
EDCI 661     Content Area Reading
EDCI 663     Issues in Reading Education
EDCI 666     Leadership in Schoolwide Reading Program
EDCI 664     Clinical Assessment in Reading
EDCI 665     Clinical Instruction in Reading
EDCI 761     Advanced Clinical Practices in Reading Assessment
EDCI 762     Advanced Clinical Practices in Reading Instruction

Also acceptable:  courses outside the specialty area such as
EDCI Writing courses, EDCI TESOL courses, in consultation with faculty advisor.

Dissertation Research:  Minimum of 12 credits of EDCI 899 for PhD;

Minimum - 57 credits beyond master’s degree

 Also acceptable: courses outside the specialty area such as EDCI writing courses, EDCI TESOL courses in consultation with
             faculty advisor.

             Dissertation Research (minimum 12 credits of EDCI 899 for PhD)

             Comprehensive Portfolio: 
Portfolio Requirements

What are the admissions criteria? (Click here for graduate school admission requirements)

What are the admissions procedures ? 

Requirements for admission include the following:

  • graduate and undergraduate transcripts for all institutions attended
  • three letters of recommendation
  • scores from the Graduate Record Exam
  • statement of goals, interests and experiences
Although not required, Reading Center faculty highly recommend that you submit a writing sample with your application.
Applications are available on -line by visiting the Graduate School website.


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