Post-Master’s Certificate in Reading Specialist

Location: Online

Total Credit Hours: 21

Next Session Start: January 11, 2027

The Post-Master’s Certificate in Reading Specialist, offered online with a field-based internship, is designed for licensed educators with a VDOE teaching license and a master’s degree in teaching or a related field. You will explore phonemic and phonological awareness, theory, assessment, and differentiated instruction for diverse learners, including those who are struggling and advanced readers. It also helps you prepare to deliver evidence-based, inclusive literacy instruction aligned with the Science of Reading.

Learn skills to support school-wide reading success and close achievement gaps.
Gain expertise in reading supervision, curriculum design, and the integration of research and technology.
Promote independent, strategic reading through engaging literary and informational texts.

This certificate is ideal for educators passionate about literacy leadership and may help advance your career as an expert in your field.

Courses

Table listing featured courses with course code, name, and credit hours.
Code	Name	Credits
Code: EDRD 500	Foundations of Reading	Credits: 3	Examines evidence-based literacy instruction aligned with the Science of Reading. Focus on phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, print concepts, and assessment. Emphasis on addressing diverse learner needs. Combines theory and practice to prepare educators for effective, inclusive reading instruction across educational settings.
Code: EDRD 560	Integrating Reading Comprehension & Writing Instruction	Credits: 3	Examines evidence-based strategies that connect reading comprehension and writing. Students explore their reciprocal relationship, assess progress, and design interventions. Emphasis is placed on literacy as both a learning tool and communication skill, supporting student growth across diverse classrooms through integrated, effective instruction and meaningful application.
Code: ETSP 554	Assessing & Teaching Reading of Narrative & Expository Texts	Credits: 3	Prepares participants to assess reading skills and to teach reading to students with mild disabilities and/or language deficit and/or second language acquisition. The course will specifically address reading processes, approaches, and stages, early intervention practices, corrective reading, diagnosis and remediation of reading problems, and assessment and instruction of reading in the content areas. Investigate and analyze record reviews and interviews; design, administer, and interpret tests; write reports; and design, implement, and critique instruction. The focus will be on the application and generalization of knowledge to realistic classroom situations.
Code: ETSP 576	Data Driven Assessment	Credits: 3	The study of achievement assessment, IQ test, validity and reliability, constructs, construction of authentic assessment and scoring, norm referenced v. criterion referenced, determination of biased assessments and factors that may influence assessment such as cultural, behavioral, and learning diversity. Administration, scoring, and interpretation of commonly used individual and group instruments, including norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and curriculum-based measures and task analysis, observation, portfolio, and environmental assessments; and synthesis and interpretation of assessment findings for eligibility, program planning, and program evaluation decisions will be addressed.
Code: ETSP 584	Reading Service Delivery: Supervision & Current Trends	Credits: 3	Examines current trends as well as methods and service delivery options. Demonstrate the ability to instruct and advise teachers in the skills necessary to differentiate reading instruction for both low- and high-achieving readers, as well as demonstrate an understanding of the needs of high achieving students and of strategies to challenge them at appropriate levels. Addresses the reading supervisor’s roles and responsibilities. Do field observations and interviews, literature reviews, case studies and interactive journaling. Prerequisite: all coursework leading up to the reading internship.
Code: ETSP 585	Reading Research, Curriculum & Technology	Credits: 3	Examine major research in the field of reading and review and investigate the use of technology in teaching and assessing reading, writing with associate skills of spelling and grammar, and research skills. Demonstrate the ability to guide students in their use of technology for both process and product as they work with reading writing and research. Examine and demonstrate an ability to teach reading and spelling curricula. Curricular materials and methods will include a children’s literature component in which you will demonstrate the ability to foster appreciation for a variety of literature and understand the importance of promoting independent reading and reading reflectively by selecting quality literature, including fiction and nonfiction, at appropriate levels. Prerequisite: all coursework leading up to the reading internship.
Code: ETSP 596	Reading Specialist Internship	Credits: 3	A university supervised field-based experience with guidance from a mentor teacher. Instruction/implementation of the full range of professional responsibilities of a reading specialist. Seminar requirement during course. Prerequisite: All program coursework.

Admissions Requirements

2026-27 Semester Check-In Deadlines

All students are expected to check-in for the semester two weeks before the session start date. Students should apply, be accepted, enroll in their first courses, and confirm a plan to pay for their courses prior to this date.

Session	Semester Check-In	Session Start Date
Session A	Friday, August 14	Monday, August 24
Session M	Friday, September 11	Monday, September 21
Session B	Friday, October 16	Monday, October 26
Session C	Wednesday, January 6	Monday, January 11
Session T	Friday, January 29	Monday, February 8
Session D	Friday, March 5	Monday, March 15
Session E	Friday, April 30	Monday, May 10
Session F	Friday, June 11	Monday, June 21

Admissions Requirements

Step 1: Apply to Regent University

Submit your application using the Regent University Online Application.

Note: If you are unable to complete our application due to a disability, please contact our Admissions Office at 757.352.4990 or admissions@regent.edu and an admissions representative will provide reasonable accommodations to assist you in completing the application.

Step 2: Submit Your Unofficial Transcripts

Submit your unofficial transcripts to regent.edu/items.

Upon submitting your application, you will receive an email requesting authorization for Regent University to obtain your official transcripts from your U.S. degree-granting institution. International transcripts must be evaluated by a NACES or NAFSA approved agency.

Step 3: Submit Your Teaching License

To be admitted, you must submit an active teaching license from your state. Please submit a scanned copy or photograph of it to regent.edu/items.

Step 4: Submit Your Government-Issued ID

To ensure academic integrity, Regent University requires a copy of a government-issued ID. Please submit a scanned copy or photograph of it to regent.edu/items.

Please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions at 757.352.4990 or admissions@regent.edu should you have any further questions about the application process.

Note: All items submitted as part of the application process become the property of Regent University and cannot be returned.

Tuition & Fees

2026-27 Tuition Rates

Certificate	Tuition Cost Per Credit Hour	Total Credits	Tuition Cost for Certificate
Career Switcher for Elementary Education Licensure Certificate	$250	27	$6,750 (plus associated fees)
Certificate in the Law & Higher Education	$250	9	$2,250
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Artificial Intelligence for Education	$250	12	$2,250
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Autism	$250	12	$3,000
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Career Switcher	$250	24	$6,000
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Christian Education	$250	9	$2,250
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership	$250	12	$3,000
Certificate of Graduate Studies in eLearning Design	$250	10	$2,500
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Gifted & Talented Education for Teachers	$250	12-14	$3,000-$3,500
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM)	$250	10	$2,500
Certificate of Graduate Studies in TESOL – Adult Education-Collegiate	$250	15-18	$3,750-$4,500
Certificate of Graduate Studies in TESOL – K-12	$250	15	$3,750
Post-Master's Certificate in Advancing Leadership (CAL)	$250	9	$2,250
Post-Master's Certificate in Reading Specialist	$250	21	$5,250

Student Fees Per Semester

University Services Fee (Online Students)	$750
Library Orientation	$50 (one-time)

Military Admissions & Aid » | Cost of Attendance »

*Rates are subject to change at any time.

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“The program offered a great financing opportunity for teachers, and it also had that caliber of education I was looking for but at a reasonable price. Plus, it’s local, yet also accessible from a distance.”

Kristin Garmin, M.Ed. , 2016 Reading Specialist (with endorsement)

“As I pondered what do to with the rest of my life when I retired from the Navy, I knew I wanted a job that made me feel valuable and one in which I felt I was making a difference. Thanks to Regent's Career Switcher Program, I know in my heart that as a teacher I do that every day.”

Beth Lambert, M.Ed., 2010 Senior Curriculum Developer

“There’s an atmosphere of excellence at Regent.”

Sharon Byrdsong, Ed.D., 2008 K-12 School Leadership

“When I felt called to teaching after a career in the military, Regent University bridged the gap and laid a solid, Christian-based path for me to follow.”

John Pienkowski, M.Ed., 2017 Level II Career Switcher

“I just can't say enough about the program—it's everything I wanted.”

Gary Maestas, Ed.D., 2010 K-12 School Leadership