How to Apply to the Early Grade Reading Certificate Program

Students can take classes in the Early Grade Reading certificate program before they formally apply for admission to the program. If you plan to take all courses and earn the certificate, we encourage you to apply to the certificate program by the end of the second course.

International applicants (non-U.S. citizens) are welcome.

Admissions Process & Requirements

You can apply at any time - we accept applications year-round on a rolling basis. 

To be admitted to the Certificate program, you must:

  • Hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree
  • Work or intend to work in the field of education and/or early grade reading
  • Have sufficient English reading and writing skills to participate in the courses (As a guideline, this would be equivalent to at least 80 on the TOEFL IBT. Note that you DO NOT need to take the TOEFL or submit any scores.)

Step one: Fill out the application form

In order to formally apply to the program, fill out the online application form.  
(*remember you can take a class or two before you apply to the program).

Step two: Submit application materials 

Send the following materials to egrcert [at] umass [dot] edu (egrcert[at]umass[dot]edu). Your application will not be complete until these additional pieces of information have been submitted.

  1. Résumé or CV
  2. Personal statement (maximum 1 page single-spaced), explaining your interest in the certificate, how your professional and educational background makes this program a good fit for you, and your professional development goals.
  3. (optional) Unofficial Transcript 

You can transfer certificate credits to the International Education M.Ed. or Ph.D. 

If you apply to, get admitted, and enroll in the master’s or doctoral program with a specialization in International Education, you will be able to apply as many credits as you have to that program. This includes all 15 credits of the Early Grade Reading Graduate Certificate if you fully complete the requirements beforehand. 

To find out more about the Early Grade Reading Program, please email the program administrator, Annie Stephany, at egrcert [at] umass [dot] edu to request more information, to or set up a meeting.