Reading Specialist Major – Graduate Advanced Programs

Master of Science In Education (in service teachers)

In 2010, The International Reading Association revised the standards put in place for practicing reading specialists. The University of St. Francis Reading Specialist program is aligned to these new standards thus ensuring graduates will demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills and dispositions needed for application in today’s educational landscape.

The Master of Science Reading Specialist Program is designed for educators who want to assume Reading Specialist roles at the school or district level. The program culminates with candidates earning a Master of Science degree and a State of Illinois Reading Specialist Type 10 Certificate. The purpose and intent of the Reading Specialist Program is to prepare educators to become ethical decision-makers and leaders who can provide literacy-based services within an educational community.

  • Classes meet one night per week for 15 weeks during fall and spring semesters.
  • Classes meet in six-day modules over the summer.
  • Program can be completed in eight semesters.

For registration into the program, please contact Maggie Stevenson at (815)740-3389 or mstevenson@stfrancis.edu.

For questions regarding the program, please contact Amy Brodeur at (815)740-3661 or abrodeur@stfrancis.edu.

  • Demonstrate leadership skills needed to assume prominent roles in the field of education
  • Contribute knowledge and service to the professional education community
  • Exhibit and apply research and communication skills to support the role of the educational leader and scholar
  • Implement the skills of reflective and critical thinking to explore the larger purposes of education to the individual and society
  • Model an awareness of varied educational needs of students and apply current research-based strategies and methodologies, including technology, that meet the needs of diverse students
  • Analyze ongoing issues, theories and trends with a focus on applications in classroom settings that can improve P-12 student learning
  • Provide a context to improve the quality of education, and ensure equal opportunities and the dignity of each student in a demographic society
  • Demonstrate professional dispositions consistent with Illinois Professional Standards and the College of Education’s Code of Professional Conduct