Admission Requirements
The following are minimum standards for admission. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to the program. Candidates for admission must:
- Complete an admission application available online at www.newpaltz.edu/graduate
- Provide one official copy of all transcripts of all previous college/university course-work from regionally accredited institutions, with a cumulative undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher;
- Provide evidence of initial/provisional or professional/permanent teaching certification in elementary education (B-2, Pre-K-6, Grades 1-6), or Secondary Education (Grades 7-12 or Adolescence/Middle Grades Education, all subjects), or in Special Education, Speech and Hearing Handicapped, Music Education, or Art Education;
- Provide acceptable GRE scores;
- Request three recent (within two years), appropriate letters of recommendation, including at least two from college/university faculty on professional letterhead supporting the applicant’s potential to undertake graduate study;
- Submit a well-written essay of no more than 500 words describing your educational aspirations, experience working with students in educational settings, and how training in a master’s program in literacy education will help you achieve your personal and professional goals.
Application Deadlines
| November 1 | For Spring admission |
| March 15 | For Summer or Fall admission |
Curriculum Requirements (030B)
All courses must be taken under advisement.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations (3 Credits) | ||
| EDI774 | 3 | |
| Diversity (3 Credits) | ||
| Select one of the following courses chosen with advisement: | 3 | |
| Tchg. Learners of Culturally/Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds (3) Yearly | ||
| Issues in Multicultural Education | ||
| Issues of Racism and Sexism in Education | ||
| Content Core (Taken in sequence) (15 Credits) | ||
| EED744 | 3 | |
| EED745 | 3 | |
| EED746 | Workshop for the Remediation of Reading Difficulties | 3 |
| EED747 | Clinical Practices in Reading | 3 |
| EDI775 | Graduate Reading Seminar | 3 |
| Content Electives (Literacy) (6 Credits) | ||
| Select two courses in middle or secondary education chosen with advisement | 6 | |
| Special Education (if required) (3 Credits) | ||
| Select one course chosen with advisement | 3 | |
| Literacy/Liberal Arts Electives (3-6 Credits) | ||
| Select one or two courses chosen with advisement | 3-6 | |
| Research (3 Credits) | ||
| EDI798 | Principles of Research | 3 |
| Total Credits | 36-39 | |
NOTE: The following statements apply to both 030A and 030B programs.
- Students in the 030A, 030B who have previously taken a course in Special Education must take 6 credits in the Literacy/Liberal Arts Electives.
- Students in the Master's Literacy Education Program who have previously taken a course in Special Education must take 6 credits in the Content Electives.
- The 5 Content Core courses must be taken in sequence. For students in the 030A and 030B programs, Clinical Practices in Reading (EED747 ) and Graduate Reading Seminar (EDI775 ) are taken together as the last two courses in this sequence.
- During EED747 and EDI775 , master's degree candidates will complete a Literacy Intervention Project, which will be presented at the end of the program. Students must pass this assessment in order to receive the master’s degree and recommendation for certification in Literacy Education.
- As of Summer 2013, students must pass each of the core sequence classes with a B or better to proceed to the next course in the sequence. A student may only retake a course one time.
Students who are interested in applying for the Literacy Education 030A, Literacy Education 030B, or the Master’s Literacy Education Program should contact the Literacy Coordinator literacy@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
While 6 credits of coursework may be taken as a non-matriculated student and transferred into the program, taking classes as a non-matriculated student does not guarantee the transferability of credits into the program, nor does it guarantee admission to the program. After matriculation and with approval of your advisor and the AVP for Graduate & Extended Learning, you may transfer up to six graduate credits. Credits cannot be transferred after the plan of study is approved.
Requirements for Completion of Degree
Candidates are required to:
- Develop a plan of study with an advisor upon matriculation;
- Complete no more than 6 credits of course-work toward the degree prior to matriculation;
- Complete prescribed course-work and other requirements within five years of matriculation;
- Maintain a cumulative average of 3.0 or better. The Literacy Sequential Core courses require a B (84) or better to proceed to the next course in the sequence. If you do not earn a B (84), you can retake one course, one time.
