Literacy (Reading)

 

Literacy Office
108B Recitation Hall
West Chester, PA 19383
Call: 610-436-2877
FAX: 610-436-3102


 

Graduate Information

Graduate Status

Students who are admitted to the Graduate Program in Reading are classified as follows:

  • M.Ed. Degree Students:
    • Full Graduate Standing is granted to a student who has met all the established entrance requirements. It does not mean admission to degree candidacy.
  • Non-Degree Students:
    • Certification: students who take coursework to obtain Reading Specialist Certification only.
    • Professional Growth: students who take graduate course work but seek neither an M.Ed. degree nor Reading Specialist Certification.
  • Change of Status
    • A non-degree student who wishes to change his/her status should petition the Office of Graduate Studies. It is the student's responsibility to initiate his/her change of status. The student should obtain the necessary change of status form from the Graduate Office, complete it, and return it to the Reading Graduate Coordinator. The student will be notified by letter of the action taken by the Literacy Department and the Graduate Office.

Financial Assistance

A limited number of graduate assistantships are available each year. For information concerning these assistantships contact the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Registration

Students may register through myWCU on the Internet, by telephone, or by submitting a scheduling card to the Graduate Office. The registration procedure and course offerings are outlined in two special bulletins: one for the Fall and Summer semesters, and one for the Spring semester.

Continuous Enrollment

All graduate students who have been admitted into a graduate program must maintain continuous registration each semester (except summer sessions) or must apply for a formal leave of absence. For further information, please refer to the Graduate Catalog or online.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of six (6) graduate credits earned at other institutions may be transferred to a master's degree program in reading if they meet the approval of the Literacy Department. Criteria include:

  1. The course(s) must have been taken in a graduate program at an approved graduate school, not an extension center.
  2. The applicant must submit: (1) an official transcript and (2) a catalog description of the course(s).
  3. The course or courses must have been taken recently enough to fall within the six (6) year time limitation. The six year period extends from the time the course work to be transferred for credit was taken up to the time of graduation from the program at West Chester.
  4. The application for transfer credit must be made within the first six hours of graduate work.
  5. Transfer of Graduate Credit forms can be obtained from the Graduate Studies Office or online here.

Grade Requirements

Students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average in order to be admitted to candidacy for the degree and in order to graduate. Degree students must repeat any required courses for which they have received a grade of less than C-. All grades received for a course will remain on the student's record, and will be used to calculate the cumulative average.

M.Ed. Requirements

  1. 30 required literacy credits and a minimum of six to twelve (6 – 12) additional credits of professional education. Workshops will not be accepted to satisfy this requirement.
  2. All PDE requirements.  Workshops will not be accepted to satisfy this requirement.
  3. Cumulative grade point average of 3.0. in all course work.
  4. The comprehensive examination.
  5. The Reading Specialist Praxis II examination. Information about this examination may be obtained from the Certification Office, 302 Recitation Hall (610-436-2321) or online at http://www.ets.org.
  6. The program within a period of six (6) years.
  7. Recommendation by the staff of the Graduate Program in Reading.

 

Degree Conference

Each candidate for the Master’s degree should complete a graduation application the semester before he/she intends to graduate. The application ia available in the Graduate Studies Office or online. If a student fails to graduate on the planned date, she/he must submit another application for the next graduation date. Deadlines for submission are as follows: February 1 for the May graduation, June 1 for the August graduation, and October 1 for the December graduation.

After receiving the student’s graduation application and reviewing the student’s credentials, a recommendation will be made by the Graduate Reading Coordinator. The student will then be informed of this recommendation by letter from the Dean of Graduate Studies.

In addition to submitting the graduation application, each candidate must pay a fee, complete a Commencement Fund Invoice, and order a cap and gown.