Reading Specialist P-12 (Master of Science in Education)

Application Deadlines

Applications for this program are accepted throughout the year in fall, spring, and summer. 

Application Materials Required for the MSE in Reading Specialist P-12

Applicants for a master’s degree education program must submit all of the following documentation to Graduate Admissions to be considered for admission:

Graduate Admissions
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road North
Jacksonville, Alabama, 36265-1602

  1. Completed JSU Graduate Application for Admission.
  2. Non-refundable $35.00 application processing fee.
  3. Official transcripts from all colleges/universities with degrees posted. To be considered for admission, applicants must hold a degree from an institutionally accredited institution or its foreign equivalent. (Students who have previously attended JSU do not need to request a transcript from the university.) 
  4. Valid Bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, or Collaborative Special Education Teacher K-6. Or

    Valid Bachelor’s-level professional educator certificate in any area of education and a passing score on the Praxis Subject Assessment in Teaching Reading validated for use in Alabama.

    All certificate(s) must be valid throughout the program and at graduation.

  5. Background check1. Any candidate applying for admission to a state approved teacher education program shall be required to be fingerprinted for a criminal history background check through the Alabama State Department of Education to the Alabama Bureau of Investigation (ABI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Instructions for completing the background process can be found here.
  6. Applicants must have completed two full years of full-time classroom teaching experience prior to unconditional admission to the program and will document their educational experience on the state-approved Supplemental EXP Form. Applicants should contact their superintendent’s office/central office for completion of this form.
  7. International student applicants must see the International Student Applicants section of this catalog for other application and enrollment requirements.

Admission Requirements for the MSE in Reading Specialist P-12

Applicants are admitted on a selective basis upon review of the completed application package. With departmental approval, applicants may be permitted to enroll for one semester of graduate coursework while completing application requirements. Applicants must achieve unconditional admission within one semester. 

Minimum Requirements for the MSE in Reading Specialist P-12

An overall 3.25 GPA is required on all coursework attempted for the master’s degree. Transfer credit cannot be used to raise the GPA to the required 3.25.

Students pursuing the Master of Science in Education degree may not count 400-level graduate courses toward the degree. All coursework for the Master of Science in Education must be taken at the 500-level. 

Successful completion of the appropriate Reading Specialist Praxis Subject Assessment is required prior to Internship.

Course Title Credits
Core Requirements
EED 509Advanced Twenty-First Century Teaching and Learning3
EED 550Diversity in Today's Classroom3
EFD 500Research in Education3
RDG 546Multicultural Literature3
Teaching Field Requirements
RDG 538Teaching Reading in ECE3
RDG 542Stategic Reading Across the Curriculum3
RDG 545Teaching Language Arts3
RDG 567Improvement of Reading in Secondary Schools3
RDG 572Assessment of Diagnosis in Reading3
RDG 573Intervention Strategies for Reading Instruction3
RDG 574Practicum for Teachers of Reading3
RDG 575Internship in the Organization and Supervision of Reading Programs3
Diversity Requirement
SPE 500Survey Course in Special Education 13
or EED 548 Materials and Methods for the Multicultural Classroom
or RDG 530 Methods and Materials for Reading: Teaching Students with Exceptionalities in the Inclusive Setting
or SPE 532 Methods and Strategies for Enrichment: Teaching Gifted Students in the Inclusive Classroom
Total Hours39

 39 Graduate Semester Hours Required for this Degree

Graduation and Comprehensive Exam

No comprehensive exam is required for this degree. All students must apply for graduation by the given deadline of the semester in which they plan to graduate. Please see the Graduation and Comprehensive Exam section of this catalog for more information.

Completion of this program leads to eligibility for Master’s-level professional educator certification in Reading Specialist P-12.

Please Note: Teacher education programs are approved by the Alabama State Board of Education and are, therefore, subject to periodic revision resulting from changes in State certification requirements. Subsequently, modifications in students’ programs may become necessary. Students in all graduate level teacher education programs must schedule their coursework each semester with approval of their faculty advisors.

Alabama Class A Professional Educator Certification Requirements

Issuance of Alabama professional educator certificates is the legal responsibility of the Alabama State Department of Education. Universities cannot issue a professional certificate. To be eligible to apply for certification, a student must complete an appropriate program of study at a college or university which has been approved by the State Board of Education to offer a program leading to the desired certificate. When a student completes the program of study, the institution recommends to the State Department of Education that the appropriate certificate be issued.

  1. Alabama State Department of Education regulations are subject to change; therefore, it is recommended that students apply for certification upon graduation. During their last semester of coursework, students should contact Teacher Education Services, 207 Ramona Wood Hall, for information about this process. The university cannot recommend any student for certification who has not satisfied all state and university requirements for admission to and completion of an approved program. Please see the Alabama Certification Instructions on the Teacher Education Services website.
  2. Students certified in states other than Alabama who wish to apply for master’s level certification in Alabama upon completion of the master’s degree must apply for Alabama certification on the undergraduate level prior to applying for the master’s level certification. Students must be eligible for undergraduate certification in the teaching field(s) in which master’s level certification is sought. Earning a master’s degree at JSU does not automatically entitle a student to an Alabama certificate without first holding the appropriate undergraduate certificate.
  3. Recommendation for certification must be made within 60 months of program completion. Recommendation after 60 months requires completion of a current program.