M.S. Literacy Education with Reading concentration (licensure track)

Foster Early Reading Skills in Your School

Online

20 Months

30 Credit Hours

$490 Per Credit

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Help Your Students Fall in Love With Reading

Apply By: 08/17/26
Start Class: 08/31/26

Earn your master’s in literacy education online with Shenandoah to share your passion for reading with young learners. The online master’s in literacy program offers a concentration in early literacy that delivers the credential you need to meet Virginia add-on endorsement requirements. Through online courses taught by experienced faculty, you’ll learn to design engaging instruction that fosters reading and writing skill development for children ages three to five.

This program is intentionally aligned with Virginia licensure requirements, and state approval is in progress.

Concentrations Details

Earn the credential necessary for add-on endorsement in Early Childhood Education in Virginia
Flexible online coursework designed to fit a teacher’s schedule
College of Distinction for SU’s Division of Education and Leadership¹
Small class sizes and personalized support from educators
Graduate fast with accelerated, eight-week courses

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Choose a Curriculum That Delivers Classroom-Ready Skills

The online master’s in literacy in early literacy degree requires you to complete 10 courses for a total of 30 credits. The curriculum features seven concentration courses, including a hands-on practicum experience and an on-site 3-day Children’s Literature Conference where you’ll learn from world-renowned authors, illustrators and literacy leaders. Each course is taught by dedicated faculty who ensure you focus on the instructional practices necessary for teaching early literacy.

Early Literacy Required Courses

RDG 523 Foundations of Literacy 3 Credits

This course is designed to impart a thorough understanding of the Virginia English Standards of Learning as well as the reciprocal nature of reading and writing. Reading instruction includes phonemic awareness, concept of print, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development and comprehension strategies. Writing instruction includes writing strategies and conventions that support the composing/writing expression and usage/mechanics domains. This course includes proficiency in understanding the stages of spelling development, the writing process and fostering appreciation of a variety of fiction, non-fiction text and independent reading.

RDG 610 Language & Literacy Development in Early Childhood 3 Credits

This course examines issues, theories, processes and contexts involved in oral language and early literacy development. Additionally, this course explores the implications for curriculum and instruction in early childhood settings for children from birth through grade two, including the role of English language learners and language development for exceptional learners. Students will develop competencies in the components of emergent literacy, which include oral language development, phonological and phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, high frequency vocabulary development, decoding and spelling strategies, and fluency development.

ENG 503 Children’s Literature Conference: Literature Class 3 Credits

Course description currently under development.
Learn more about the Children’s Literature Conference

RDG 535 Language Development 3 Credits

The language development of children from school years Pre-K through 12 is discussed. Consideration is given to instructional strategies that focus on language acquisition and its relationship to reading and the communicative arts of spelling, writing and speaking.

RDG 611 Assessment and Instruction in Early Literacy 3 Credits

This course is a study of research-based literacy assessment and instructional practices useful in guiding developmentally appropriate learning for emergent readers. The course will provide participants with instruction and experience in the evaluation of abilities and achievement in literacy using formal and informal assessment procedures. Participants will design instructional programs based upon identified needs of individual children.

RDG 613 Family Literacy: Home, School, & Community Partnerships 3 Credits

This course examines effective family involvement programs and current research underscoring the interaction among families, schools and the community and the impact of these factors on the academic success of preschool children. Participants will have opportunities to examine different approaches to and programs for family literacy. Emphasis is placed on developing understandings of cultural diversity and ethics when working with families and children.

RDG 614 Field Experience in Early Literacy (Practicum) 3 Credits

This course is a study of research-based literacy assessment and instructional practices useful in guiding developmentally appropriate learning for emergent readers. Through field experiences, students will improve their instructional and assessment practices by evaluating abilities and achievement in literacy using formal and informal assessment procedures. Students will design instructional programs based upon identified needs of individual children.

Discover what your future could hold with an online degree from Shenandoah. Learn more about the online master’s in literacy education program and its core courses.

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Prepare for an Impactful Education Career

The need for expert educators is always in demand. With the M.S. Literacy Education Early Literacy Concentration online program from Shenandoah, you’ll prepare to share your love of learning and literacy with future generations as a top-skilled educator.

Graduates of this program find success in a variety of education roles both inside and outside the classroom, including teaching and instructional coordination. From the first course, you’ll be taking steps toward a more meaningful career with rewarding teaching opportunities, many of which offer competitive salaries of more than $60,000 per year.²

Literacy Teacher $60,934 per year²

Kindergarten and Elementary School Teacher $62,310 per year³

Explore More M.S. in Literacy Education Concentrations

For the SU online literacy master’s, you must choose one concentration from the options below. Learn more and find the literacy specialization that advances your personal and professional goals. Whether you want to deepen your expertise or aim to improve your current classroom with a stronger literacy acumen, Shenandoah has the online program that will take you where you want to go.

From grammar to linguistics, this writing literacy master’s will upgrade your ability to teach creative and non-fiction writing skills to K-12 students.

Deepen your understanding of how students learn to read with CAEP-accredited curriculum rooted in research, evidence and practical use.

Sources

Colleges of Distinction. “Shenandoah University.” Retrieved August 20, 2025, from https://collegesofdistinction.com/school/shenandoah-university/.
Zip Recruiter. “Literacy Teacher Salary in Virginia.” Retrieved April 21, 2026, from https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Literacy-Teacher-Salary–in-Virginia.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers.” Retrieved May 13, 2026, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/kindergarten-and-elementary-school-teachers.htm#tab-5.

Online Master’s in Literacy – Early Literacy