MEd: Secondary Education

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Reading Emphasis

The master’s degree in Secondary Education is an accredited program appropriate for secondary teachers, specialists, department chairpersons, and those who work in informal learning or international educational settings. Candidates choose electives that will support their personal growth and development as an educational leader to impact the communities with which they work.

Diverse candidates will engage in a learner-centered environment committed to the success of historically marginalized and diverse students, research, and community engagement. Within diverse education settings, candidates will: advance pedagogical knowledge, recognize inequalities in educational opportunity, design differentiated assessments to inform practice, critically examine professional practice, and demonstrate commitment to ethical professional practice.  

It is important that both candidates and advisors plan ahead to ensure courses are taken when they are offered in the schedule. Programs must be planned with an academic advisor and meet the approval of the faculty advisor, adhering to the College of Education and UMSL Graduate School policies.

Curricular Program for Secondary Education 

The M.Ed. in Secondary Education consists of 4 required courses (12 hours) plus candidate choice from emphasis areas and electives. The general program option requirements are met by (a) completing 2 required foundation courses (6 hrs.) toward the beginning of the M.Ed. program, (b) completing the coursework for an emphasis area (9-18 hrs.), and (c) completing the 2 exit research capstone classes (6 hrs.) for a total of 30 hours.

Most emphasis areas indicate 3-6 required courses. In addition, electives allow candidates to construct an individualized set of target courses. Transfer graduate credit from another institution may also fit into elective hours. 

Emphasis areas offered in SEC ED include General, Reading, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Teaching of Writing, Curriculum & Instruction, and Special Education. For the General emphasis, students take 18 hours of electives. Reading and TESOL may require additional coursework for licensure, as noted. For a Curriculum & Instruction emphasis, students select the 3 Curriculum & Instruction courses and an additional 3 electives. Those who want to take 9 graduate hours in an academic content area may use the additional 3 electives to integrate this advanced work into their M.Ed. program. Required 12 hours of M.Ed. core courses plus an additional 18 hours of graduate level courses.  

The M.Ed. program with emphasis in Reading (K-12 literacy) is designed to enable candidates to further their competencies as teachers of reading, writing, and other communication arts. The program also prepares them for positions as literacy coaches, reading specialists, curriculum specialists, consultants in areas of communication arts, and/or for further graduate study. This program may lead to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requirements for Special Reading K-12 certification in Missouri.

To be recommended for Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Special Reading Certification K-12, teachers must have a valid Missouri teacher’s certificate, two years of approved classroom teaching experience as determined by DESE, successful completion of any required DESE assessments, and the following:

• A course(s) in child and adolescent psychology (3-6 hours)
• A course in psychology/education of exceptional child (3 hours)
• A course in reading in the content area (3 hours)
• A course in language acquisition or development specifically targeting children with special needs (3 hours)
• A course in behavior intervention strategies (3 hours)
• A course in counseling techniques (3 hours)

These certification requirements may be in addition to the courses listed in the program of study above. Students should consult their graduate advisor for information about these courses.

Emphasis Area Requirements

In addition to the required courses above (12 hours), candidates seeking an Emphasis in Reading are required to complete the following coursework (18 hours) for a program total of 30 hours.

 Total: 30 hours