Language and Literacy

Master of Education (M.E.),
Language and Literacy

The Master of Education (M.E.) in Language and Literacy is designed with two program areas of emphasis for two types of educators:

Master of Education in Language and Literacy for English Language Learners (ELL)

English Language Learners Teacher – The Language and Literacy for ELL area of emphasis is for educators desiring ELL linguistics and second language acquisition basics, as well as ELL methods, materials and assessments for public and private schools.

This area of emphasis meets the professional standards of the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages International Association Standards for P-12 Teacher Education Programs (TESOL, 2010) as well as DESE ELL Standards. This area leads to Missouri ELL certification. Certification is not available as an initial certificate; candidates must already be certified in another area. Refer to Certification Requirements for additional information regarding certification.

Master of Education in Language and Literacy for Reading Certification

Special Reading Teacher – The Language and Literacy for Reading Certification area of emphasis is for educators desiring to work as reading specialists in various public and private settings.

The degree program aligns with the professional standards of the International Literacy Association (ILA) for Reading Professionals (2017, ILA 2018), International Dyslexia Association Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading (IDA, 2018), and the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessment Framework for Special Reading (Pearson, 2020). This area of emphasis leads to Missouri Special Reading certification. This certification is not available as an initial certificate; candidates must already be certified in another area. Refer to Certification Requirements for additional information regarding certification.

Course Delivery

8-week format, fully online.

See the Curriculum section for program requirements from the academic catalog for this program.

Admission Requirements

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and hold a valid state teaching certificate (applicant must provide copy of certificate)
2. School employment is not required for admission into the Language and Literacy programs. However, every course requires direct work with children; therefore, advanced candidates are responsible for finding students with whom to work if they do not have access to a classroom.
3. Advanced candidates seeking Special Reading Teacher or ELL certification must have two years’ teaching experience by the time they apply for certification.
4. Minimum 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, and 2.5 GPA in core.
5. A felony background check and FBI fingerprint check and clearance received for admission.
6. Child abuse or neglect screening.
7. Advanced candidates with a GPA between 2.7 and 3.0 may be considered for admission, if they provide one of the following:

• Four years successful employment experience (letter of recommendation from a supervisor based on good evaluations).
• An acceptable GRE score for verbal and quantitative tests.

Note: If items 4 and 5 above have been completed for continuous current employment or for the U.S. military, a copy of the same may be submitted.

Graduation Requirements

Park University confers the Master of Education degrees upon successful completion of the following requirements:

• Completion of a minimum of 30 semester hours.
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0 for Park University courses.
• Satisfaction of all requirements for a major as outlined in the academic catalog.
• Completion of all earned credit with no more than 2 grades of C earned.
• Submission of an Application for Graduation.

Program Requirements

A professional portfolio, as well as projects embedded in course work, is required. Advanced candidates must successfully pass the School of Education Disposition Instrument for Advanced Candidates for admission into their respective program practicums (either ED641, ED651 or ED652). Students intending to apply for certification through DESE may need to take 3-6 additional credit hours beyond the 30 hours required to earn the MED degree depending on whether they have previously earned credits for the course equivalents of ED520 and/or ED527 from another institution or as part of their baccalaureate degree. These courses are certification requirements and not required to earn the MED degree.

Advanced Candidates should consult with their Academic Advisor regarding current Missouri Content Assessment (MoCA) requirements and test availability.

Certification Requirements

Both program areas within the Master of Education with emphasis in Language and Literacy lead to certification through Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for Special Reading (K-12) or English Language Learners (K-12).  If interested, advanced candidates are responsible for applying online for certification through www.dese.mo.gov at the end of their program or at the point in which they meet all certification requirements (Contact your Academic Advisor for additional information). Endorsement from the designated certification official of an educator preparation program approved by DESE is required as part of the application process.