Ed.D. in Literacy

Program Description | Admission | Degree Requirements | Courses

Program Description

The doctoral program in Literacy provides the highest professional degree available to candidates who aspire to literacy leadership. The degree requires a minimum of sixty hours of graduate credit and the successful completion of a major research project resulting in the presentation and defense of a dissertation. Candidates who complete this program will:

Have knowledge of the foundations of reading and writing processes and how to design research around and write about such topics.
Gain an understanding of and an ability to design the research related to reading and writing curriculum development and coordination.
Gain an understanding of and an ability to design research and write about the assessment of reading and writing acquisitions.
Apply knowledge acquired from research and scholarly study to education in reading and writing; and design, conduct, and interpret research in reading and writing education.

Admissions

Admission to the program requires a significant commitment of time for the duration of the individual’s program. The inability to devote the necessary time will require the individual to drop out of the program.

This program followings a modified cohort model. Individuals are admitted to a specific group, called a cohort, and follow the schedule for the cohort to which they are assigned. Elective courses may be taken independent from the rest of the cohort. Cohorts begin in June of each year. In the event of emergencies that require an individual to drop out of the normal schedule, they may be required to join another cohort group with another schedule.

Applicants seeking admission to the doctoral program in Literacy must submit the following directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions:

Graduate Application
Application fee
Official transcript(s) showing receipt of a baccalaureate degree and a master's degree from an accredited institution
Official GRE scores
Program application and fee
Personal statement (1000 words maximum)
Three letters of recommendation, one from an official in a school where you have been employed and two from current or former graduate-level professors
Evidence of teaching certificate with a reading specialist endorsement and/or three years of teaching experience

The master’s degree should be in reading or a related field with at least eighteen hours of graduate credit in reading. Students without the prerequisite eighteen hours in reading may be required to take additional coursework during the program. The graduate GPA should be 3.0 or higher.

Applicants meeting the criteria above may be invited for an interview with the doctoral admissions committee. A candidate who fails to meet one of the admission requirements may receive probationary admission if sponsored by a doctoral faculty member.

Degree Requirements

After the completion of one semester (nine hours) of prescribed graduate coursework in the program, admitted students will be reviewed for candidacy. The director of the program will consider the student's progress, interpersonal skills, and motivation to determine whether the student should be allowed to continue in the doctoral program. Upon full admission to the program, the student’s doctoral committee will be determined.

A comprehensive examination will be taken after the completion of forty-five hours of coursework. Students must be enrolled during the semester the comprehensive examination is taken. After successful completion of the examination, the student may defend the dissertation proposal.

The program requires a minimum of sixty hours of graduate credit.

Ed.D. in Literacy

Item	Requirement	Options	Hours Required
1	Specified Courses	Choose all* from:* READ 6315 <RDG 688> The Politics of Literacy READ 7100 <RDG 710> Seminar in Literacy Leadership¹ READ 7300 <RDG 730> Psychological and Sociological Foundations of Language and Lit READ 7320 <RDG 732> Issues and Trends in Literacy Education READ 7340 <RDG 734> Literacy for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations READ 7345 <RDG 760> Analysis, Interpretation, and Dissemination of Literacy Assessment READ 7335 <RDG 770> Curriculum Theory, Reading and Writing READ 8320 <RDG 832> Application of Literacy Research READ 7370 <RDG 737> Quantitative Research Methods in Literacy READ 7350 <RDG 790> Qualitative Research Methods in Literacy Education COUN 7374 <CNE 774> Multivariate Methods for Counselor Education Research	33
2	Restricted Elective	Choose one* from:* COUN 7373 <CNE 773> Statistical Methods for Counselor Education Research STAT 7365 <STA 765> Statistical Methods for Decision Making	3
3	Electives	Choose five* from:* Graduate courses in READ, EDLD, or SPED²	15
4	Dissertation	Choose all* from:* READ 8330 <RDG 833> Dissertation in Literacy Education³	9
TOTAL			60

Notes:

¹	READ 7100 <RDG 710> must be taken three times for a total of three hours.
²	Selections must include at least nine hours of 7000-level courses or above.
³	READ 8330 <RDG 833> must be taken at least three times for a minimum total of nine hours. Once enrolled in this course, the student must enroll in it until graduation.

Courses

Reading (READ)
Counseling (COUN)
Educational Leadership (EDLD)

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Graduate Catalog 2013-2015