The Department of Reading offers a Master of Arts Degree in Reading leading to Illinois Type 10 Reading Specialist Certification. Since its inception in 1972, the Department of Reading has graduated more than 1200 educators who assume active roles as teachers, administrators, and consultants in Chicago and surrounding areas.

Program Features
The program features small classes, a variety of electives, personalized advising, an on-campus Reading Center for the practicum experience, an alumni organization, graduate merit tuition waivers, and a Graduate Honor Society. The program has a total of 36 semester hours.

Scheduling of Courses
Our graduate program is designed with the professional educator in mind. Courses are scheduled in the late afternoons, evenings, and on Saturdays during the academic year. During the summer, they are scheduled throughout the day and the evening.

Certification
The Master of Arts Degree in Reading is entitled by the State of Illinois. Students who possess an Elementary or Secondary Illinois Certificate or a Type 10 Special Education Certificate are eligible to receive a Reading Specialist Certificate from the State of Illinois upon successful completion of the master’s degree and meeting state requirements for certification. This certificate qualifies holders to be Reading Specialists at both the elementary and secondary levels.

Program
Graduate study in Reading is organized into three sequences with benchmarks at the end of each sequence. Link to program information below.