MEd Language, Literacies, and Learning at University of Illinois Chicago

Programme overview

The MEd in Language, Literacies, and Learning is for students seeking the Reading Specialist endorsement, the Reading Teacher endorsement, the ESL and/or Bilingual endorsement, or the degree only. It is a coursework-only degree with no comprehensive exam.

Faculty: College of Education | Department: Curriculum and Instruction | Duration: 32 semester hours | Study mode: full-time | Location: Chicago, IL, United States

What you will study

Students choose two courses from Societal Bases of Languages, Literacies and Learning; Foundation and Current Issues in Educating English Language Learners; Language and Literacy Policy; and Languages and Literacies In and Out of School, plus 24 semester hours of advisor-approved electives. Endorsement options require additional advisor-approved coursework.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Programme: no baccalaureate field restriction; recommended minimum 2.75/4.00 for the final 60 semester hours of undergraduate study and at least 3.00 for postbaccalaureate coursework; two letters of recommendation (one from a former professor or supervisor); resume; personal statement of 500-1000 words. Bilingual-ESL, Reading Teacher and Reading Specialist endorsements require an Illinois Professional Educator License, and Reading Specialist also two years of teaching experience. International applicants: minimum English scores TOEFL iBT 80 (reading 19, listening 17, speaking 20, writing 21) for exams before 21 Jan 2026 or 4.5 overall on the new scale, IELTS Academic 6.5 (6.0 each section), PTE Academic 54, Duolingo 130.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate and professional programmes admit for Fall, Spring and Summer terms depending on the programme; applications for Fall 2027, Spring 2028 and Summer 2028 are expected to open on August 1, 2026.

Graduate and professional application deadlines are set per programme, with separate deadlines for domestic and international applicants for most non-online programmes; optional earlier priority, recommended or fellowship dates apply to both. Applications are made through the UIC graduate application or a centralized application service for some professional programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.uic.edu/admissions/

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