Ph.D. in Literacy

We are happy to announce that the New York State Education Department has approved St. John’s University’s Ph.D. program in Literacy as of January 2008.  The literacy faculty of the Department of Human Services will begin the first cohort of doctoral students in the Fall 2008 semester.

Program Goals and Benefits
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in Literacy focusing on Diverse and At Risk Learners prepares professionals for these role options:

Teacher Educator
College or University Faculty for Teacher Preparation, Research, and Service

School Literacy Specialist
Reading or Writing Specialist or Literacy Coach Developing Literacy for All Learners

Literacy Leader Advocate
Agency, Community, or School District Curriculum Specialist - Developing, Organizing and Supervising Literacy Programs

Program Requirements
The program requires a minimum of 75 credits beyond the baccalaureate.  Thirty-three of those credits may be applied from your Master’s Degree in Literacy.  The remaining minimal credits in doctoral level work will be determined when you apply, but you must take at least 14 doctoral level courses (42 credits).  If you do not have a Master’s Degree in Literacy, you may need to take prerequisite credits in Literacy.  You may have some credits in Literacy coursework from other programs.

Literacy Institute Course
The School of Education is offering a Literacy Institute course between May 15-31 over nine evenings 5 - 8 p.m. and one Saturday 9 - 12 p.m. Course credits maybe earned for EDU 3271 Literacy Best Practices Informed by Research.  This course would count as an elective in your Ph.D. doctoral program.

The School of Education Office of Graduate Admissions
Kelly K. Ronayne
Assistant Dean
St. John's University
8000 Utopia Parkway
Sullivan Hall, SB 9
Queens, NY  11439
(718) 990-2304
graded@stjohns.edu