Karen T. Huff, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction
Bowman Building, Office 110; (540) 545-7215; khuff@su.edu

The Professional Studies Certificate (PSC) Program for Reading Licensure serves teachers who already hold a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education and who want to obtain Virginia licensure as a reading specialist without seeking Shenandoah University’s Master of Science in Literacy Education: Reading Concentration Degree.

This PSC Program is designed to meet the current and changing needs of regional teachers as they strive to upgrade professional skills and teaching effectiveness in reading. Students completing the requirements for the PSC Program for Reading Licensure will meet the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) approved program requirements for licensure. The PSC courses use research-based best practices to inform the teachers’ decisions, provide guidance in addressing problems they will encounter in reading specialist roles and present opportunities to effect change in the environment in which they work.

Admissions Requirements

Applicants must possess an undergraduate and a master’s degree prior to admission to this program. Additionally, applicants for graduate Professional Studies Certificates in education are required to submit satisfactory grades in prior coursework, and may be required to submit scores on standardized tests. Applicants for this Virginia licensure concentration must hold the appropriate and valid teaching license. For further information, contact the School of Education & Human Development.

Degree Requirements

The certificate requirements are the completion of the 21-semester hour Professional Studies Certificate Program for Reading Licensure (see below) with a grade point average of 3.0 or better and a passing score on the Reading for Virginia Educators (RVE) exam.