Program Director: Candace Poindexter
Assistant Program Director: Liza Mastrippolito
Office Location: University Hall 2600

This Master of Arts program offers an area of specialization in reading instruction. It is a carefully planned sequence of thirty-three semester hours designed to prepare the candidate with professional competencies and skills to more effectively teach and promote literacy skills at the elementary and secondary school levels. This degree is offered as a traditional program or as an online program.

LMU’s Online Master of Arts in Reading Instruction program is designed for the working professional, giving you the convenience of studying and learning during hours that work for you. The program can be completed in only 2 years by taking the full course load of two classes in the Fall semester, two classes in the Spring semester and one class in the Summer.

If the candidate currently holds a teaching credential, the same coursework can also be applied toward a Reading and Language Arts Specialist Credential. The Reading Specialist Credential allows credential candidates to work as a Reading Specialist in schools and to act in a leadership role in materials selection, program development, and professional development at the school, district, and county levels.

Admission Requirements

Application to the Reading Instruction Master of Arts degree program is accomplished by completing and submitting the following to the School of Education (unless otherwise noted).

1. Graduate Division Application: Submitted directly to the Graduate Division Office.
2. Transcripts: Two copies of official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, sent directly to the Graduate Division Office.
3. GPA Requirement: Minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.0; or a 3.05 GPA in the last 60 semester units of undergraduate coursework taken; or a 3.0 GPA in at least 9 units of graduate level coursework is required.
4. Reading Instruction Program Application: Form may be obtained in the School of Education.
5. Statement of Intent
6. Two Letters of Recommendation: Forms may be obtained in the School of Education or online at http://soe.lmu.edu.
7. Interview with the Program Director/Assistant Director: Upon completing the interview, the candidate’s application is submitted to the Assistant Dean for review and recommendation. Once a recommendation is made, the candidate will receive written correspondence from the School of Education and Graduate Admissions explaining their admission status. The candidate is notified of their admission status approximately 2 weeks after completing their admission interview with the Academic Program Director/Assistant Director.

Once the above have been completed, the candidate’s file will be submitted to the Assistant Dean for review. The Assistant Dean may accept, defer, or deny admission.