Learn more about online master's degree programs in literacy education
Individuals drawn to working as literacy specialists in K-12 school settings possess a passion for helping children overcome reading obstacles and the knowledge needed to ensure they succeed. Some may work as classroom teachers, while others may focus on coordinating instructional materials and setting teaching standards. Roles for these professionals are projected to grow by 11% in the coming years by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
These positions offer annual median salaries of $63,750 — as compared to $56,900 for kindergarten and elementary teachers — and require master's degrees. Because many individuals pursue these degrees while working, most offer maximum distance learning flexibility so students can find balance. If you're interested in learning more about online master's degree programs in reading and literacy, review the schools below to get a sense of what this degree can provide in terms of job stability, professional growth, and salary potential.
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The 25 Most Affordable Online Master's in Literacy Education
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Selection Criteria
For this ranking, we looked for public and private (non-profit) colleges and universities that offer master's in reading and literacy education degrees online. Because the focus of this list is on affordability, we only considered programs with average* tuition rates of $20,000/year or less.
*For public schools, we calculated the average value of their in-state and out-of-state rates.
We also only considered education programs that are currently accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Ranking Factors
After compiling a list of all the colleges that offer online master's degrees in reading and meet the above criteria, we then collected data in four categories:
Program Popularity: How many students choose to earn their master's degree in reading over other education-related options (that is, how much interest/demand is there in the school's literacy degree compared to its other teaching programs)? To find out, we looked at both the number of master's students who earned their reading degree in the most recent school year as well as the percentage of all master's program graduates that that number represents.
Overall Strength of Online Teacher Education Programs: How much emphasis does the school place on providing accessible teacher education training? For this metric, we looked at the total number of online graduate programs the school offers in teaching as well as the percentage of all graduate students who are enrolled in one of these programs.
Accreditation:In addition to being a CAEP-accredited provider, has the school also earned national recognition from CAEP for its reading education program? Colleges and universities can only obtain such recognition by meeting strict curricular standards related to reading and literacy.
Affordability: What is the average annual cost of attendance?
After collecting and sorting all the information, we ranked the candidates according to their performance in each area. Finally, we summed up the results and gave each school a final score using a curve so that the top-scoring program earned an even 100 points.
Read more about the best cheap online master's degrees in literacy programs below!
Thanks for reading our ranking of the 25 top cheap master's in reading and literacy education degrees online!
Sources:
IPEDS Data Center
College Navigator
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation – Provider Search
CAEP – Glossary of Terms
