Interested in applying to one of our MS degree programs?

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The deadline for applications for admission in Spring, 2007 is September 15th, 2006.

The next deadline will be at the beginning of March, 2007 for admission in Summer or Fall, 2007

APPLYING TO THE MS PROGRAMS IN LITERACY
Our MS programs are highly sought after, and we cannot accept everyone who applies, even if they meet the minimum criteria. You need to carefully prepare your application. Giving a great deal of thought to the letters of reference and the written statement in response to the Department's questionnaire is particularly important, and may make the difference between being accepted or rejected. To help you navigate the application process, we have prepared a set of notes that you might find useful as you gather your application material (click here).

You have to apply to a specific program (e.g., MS Early Childhood (Literacy); MS Literacy: Literacy Specialist B-6). Later, you may apply to switch programs, but this depends on the availability of seats in the program you are trying to join. Also, switching may involve losing courses that cannot apply to another program. It may also involve the payment of an application fee (currently $75.00) if you are changing degree programs. Again, thinking ahead of time about which program best fits your career aspirations will pay off. If you need assistance with this before you apply, you can contact the Department for advice. However, before you do that, study the documents on this website--almost everything we know is here.

Application forms are available from the Reading Department or the Graduate Admissions Office, UAB 121, or online (click here). When completed, forms are sent to the Graduate Admissions Office (NOT to the Reading Department). In order to be accepted into the Master's Program, students must have a strong undergraduate record, appropriate teaching certificates, teaching ability and potential, and most importantly academic qualities that will sustain them through their graduate study (see Admission Criteria, below).

Note: when you complete the University at Albany graduate application form, you should have already downloaded the Reading Department Information sheet. Click here for a copy, it's a pdf file. Instead of completing the Statement of Background and Goals on the graduate application, you need to fill out the Reading Department's Written Statement. This form also asks you questions about your teaching experience, the teaching certificates you already possess and which program in Reading/Literacy you are applying for.

ELIGIBILITY FOR OUR MS PROGRAMS

To find out what teaching certificates you need in order to be eligible for our MS programs, click here.

ADMISSIONS DEADLINES
Admissions to the Reading Department are currently accepted twice a year, typically in mid-September (for Spring admission), and in March (for Summer and Fall admissions). Specific dates for the upcoming year are as follows: September 15th for admission in Spring, 2007; March 1st for Summer or Fall, 2007.

What does the application deadline mean?  It means that ALL required documents (application form, letters of reference, official transcripts from all institutions attended by the candidate, personal statement, etc.) and payments (i.e., the non-refundable application fee) are physically present in the Graduate Admissions Office by 12:00 noon on the deadline day. The deadline does NOT mean that an application was post-marked by the due date/time. In order to accomplish this, candidates need to gather the documents well in advance of the deadline (to be safe, allow at least two months). Pay particular attention to the requirement that official transcripts from universities and colleges you have attended be submitted with the application. Common errors include thinking that a credential folder/file from a college or university contains an official transcript (it doesn't); thinking that copies of transcripts are acceptable (they are NOT); thinking that transcripts can be faxed (they cannot). Letters of recommendation also need to be sought in plenty of time--we know first-hand that college professors aren't always as punctual about these as they should be.

Above all, understand that submitting a complete application by the deadline is entirely your responsibility, one that cannot be passed off to the US Postal Service, Federal Express or other carriers, colleges or universities, or people who write letters on your behalf. Also, you cannot hold the Graduate Admissions Office or the Reading Department responsible for not letting you know that something is missing, especially if you submit an incomplete application within a week or so of the deadline.

What happens if you submit your application late? We will NOT accept late applications, to ensure absolute fairness for all applicants. Late applications are held until the next round of application reviews. The only way to guarantee your application is not late is to send it in at least a month before the deadline, or to hand-deliver it before the deadline. An application is late if any of the required items are not present in the Graduate Admissions Office by the deadline.

Will I get my application fee back if my application is late? No. It's non-refundable.

ADMISSIONS CRITERIA
To apply for any of our MS programs, you must:

• Have successfully completed a bachelors degree from an accredited institution.
• Hold or have held a certificate of qualification for provisional/initial certification or permanent/professional certification that is required for the program of study you are applying for;
• Possess at least a 3.00 undergraduate grade point average; or, present a detailed explanation of GPAs of less than 3.00, plus evidence of potential for success in graduate study;
• Submit three satisfactory references (one of these must address the candidate's academic abilities and/or potential for graduate study; one must attest to the candidate's teaching abilities and/or potential; the third may attest to either academic or teaching abilities/potential, or to other aspects of the candidate's experiences or traits that are felt to enhance the application)*;
• Make an appropriate written statement of professional and academic accomplishments and objectives, in response to the Department's questionnaire (see application packet).

*If you have difficulty in obtaining appropriate reference letters, consult the Department for advice.

Do I have to submit GRE scores? Can I?
No, GRE scores are not required for admission to our MS Programs. Yes, you can submit them if you've taken them, and they become part of the application, but not having them doesn't negatively impact your application in any way.

REVIEW PROCEDURES

Applications are reviewed by Graduate Admissions and the Reading Department. Graduate Admissions checks to see that all the required documents (application form, letters of reference, transcripts, etc.) are complete. Folders are not forwarded to the Reading Department for review unless they are complete.The Department reviews the applications as follows:

• Each application is reviewed independently by two faculty members, using a review process that assesses each candidate in several areas (academic performance to date, subject matter knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, teaching skills, academic writing ability). Diversity is taken into consideration, but it is not weighted. Each candidate is given an overall rating from 1-6 (1= falls far below expectations, 6=far exceeds expectations).
• If the two reviewers' ratings are within 2 points (e.g., 5-5. or 5-4), then the two scores are averaged to make the final rating.
• If the two reviewers' ratings are more than two points apart (e.g., 5-3, or 2-6), the a third reviewer reads the application, without knowledge of the prior scores. The lowest of the three ratings is discarded, and the average of the two remaining scores counts as the final rating.
• Candidates for each program are rank-ordered, and offers are made to candidates, starting with the top scores, and working down to the number of seats available in that program. Applicants with average scores lower than 2 are denied, and may not apply to the program to study non-degree. Applicants with average scores between 2 and 3 may be denied or accepted conditionally, depending on the Department's recommendation . Applicants with scores at or above 3 may be accepted or placed on a waiting list, depending on the number of seats available within the program they have applied for. Waiting lists are cleared once the final admissions have been completed. Any candidates remaining on the waiting list are denied admission; their applications are not forwarded to the next round of reviews.

The review process usually takes 4-6 weeks after the application deadline. The Department accepts candidates unconditionally, accepts them conditionally (certain required courses have to be taken and passed before proceeding to other courses), or denies them.

UNSUCCESSFUL APPLICATIONS

Our programs are highly sought after, and we have a limited number of seats in each of our programs; we have to turn away many qualified applicants. If your application is not successful, you may apply again in the next round, but there's no guarantee of acceptance because the competition may be equally strong again. Having an alternative plan for another MS program is always a good strategy.

An unsuccessful candidate does have the right to appeal the Department's decision, but unless new and compelling information is presented, appeals are not successful. For example, simply stating that you have to complete your studies by a certain date, or that you have successfully taken graduate courses (even at SUNYA), or that your undergraduate major was above 3.0 while your overall was below, are not grounds for appealing our decision. However, serious omissions or errors in the original application might be. Appeals have to be made in writing (not email) to: Chair, Reading Department, ED334, University at Albany, Albany NY 12222. A letter presenting new and compelling information beyond the original application has to be enclosed. The department reviews appeals and renders a decision within one month of receipt.

Note: It is department policy not to discuss with candidates the reasons for its decisions on an application. What we can say is that each application is given a thorough review, and all aspects of the application (undergraduate academic record, letters of reference, responses to our questions, etc.) are carefully considered. We do not deny an application based on the GPA alone.

NON-DEGREE ADMISSIONS
The Departmentaccepts applications for non-degree study at any time of the year (not just in Seeptember and March). For details, click here. Note that if you are denied admission to the Reading Department as a non-matriculated (non-degree) student, any pending application to one of our MS programs is automatically denied. However, if you have been denied admission to one of our MS programs, you can apply for non-degree admission, unless your letter of denial specifically forbids it.

TRANSFER OF CREDIT/ADVANCED STANDING

Students may apply up to six credit hours (more if they have already completed a master's degree) to their Master's program through courses taken at other institutions either prior to or during the Master's program; the rest of the program must be completed at SUNYA. Transfer Credit is for individual courses taken elsewhere; Advanced Standing is for courses being transferred in from previously completed MS programs. For details, click here.

Last Updated: September 5, 2006