COURSE CURRICULUM

The Master’s in Reading program at the University at Albany offers a flexible curriculum designed to meet the diverse needs of students while aligning with current literacy standards and educational practices. The program is structured to provide a strong foundation in literacy education through core required courses while also allowing students to specialize through elective study in areas of personal or professional interest. The required coursework, totaling 18 credits, focuses on essential aspects of literacy instruction and development across different age groups and learning contexts. Students study Classroom Literacy Instruction or Academic Literacy Across Instructional Contexts (5–12) to understand how literacy is taught in various educational settings, along with courses in Children’s Literature or Young Adult Literature to explore age-appropriate reading materials that support engagement and comprehension. Additional core courses include Strategic Intervention to Prevent Literacy Difficulties or a related practicum, Literacy in Society, Teaching Writing (B–6) or a writing practicum, and Data-Based Decision Making in Literacy, Assessment, Policy, and Practice, which emphasizes using assessment data to guide instruction and improve student outcomes. In addition to core requirements, students complete 6 credits of literacy electives that allow for deeper exploration of specialized topics. These electives include Language Acquisition (B–2), Integrated Literacy Instruction (B–6), Early Literacy Development (B–2), and Literacy for English Language Learners, along with advisor-approved electives tailored to individual goals. The program emphasizes both theory and practice, ensuring that students develop the ability to design effective literacy instruction, implement intervention strategies, and assess student progress using evidence-based methods. Overall, the curriculum prepares graduates to support literacy development in diverse educational environments, including classrooms, early childhood settings, and programs serving multilingual and struggling readers, while fostering strong instructional, analytical, and intervention skills in literacy education.