Minor in Literacy Studies

Reach Those Who Need It Most Through Literacy Studies at BSU

Did you know that 25 million children in the United States can’t read proficiently? This is according to the nonprofit Reading Is Fundamental, which analyzed test scores released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The NAEP reports that only 66 percent of fourth graders and 73 percent of eighth graders read at or above the basic level. This can impact their entire lives.

To help children reach their potential, we need educators with specialized backgrounds in literacy studies who can provide the literacy education students need.

Whether you want to become a literacy teacher or you’re interested in teaching reading and writing among other subjects, the literacy studies minor at Bridgewater State University will help you meet your goals.

Housed in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education, BSU’s literacy studies minor will give you the credentials and allow you to build the necessary skills to effectively teach reading and language arts to students in grades PreK–12 — especially students who struggle with reading and writing.

Literacy Studies Minor Program Highlights

side view of a female BSU student with long dark brown hair and black wire rim glasses speaking, holding a pencil, sitting at a table with 3 other students

Exciting opportunities for real-world learning

While working toward your literacy studies minor, you’ll have several hands-on learning experiences, including writing practice with feedback from your peers and instructors and discussions about current issues in literacy studies. These experiences will give you the required skills to begin your literacy education career.

Dr. Steven Greenberg smiling and holding a piece of paper while teaching a class with a smiling female student sitting at a desk in background

Learn from expert faculty members

At BSU, you’ll take literacy studies courses with instructors who are published researchers and speakers. Our faculty members have years of experience in classroom teaching, and they can demonstrate the difference a minor in literacy studies makes on teaching students to read and write.

4 students sitting at tables in a classroom, 2 with laptops open, the other 2 with notebook and papers in front of them, one of the male students speaking

Big opportunities come from small class sizes

At BSU, you’ll take classes toward your literacy minor with about 20 other students. This will provide you with the chance to collaborate with your peers and allow your instructors to get to know you and give you personalized career guidance.

A revised and current literacy minor program

As you embark on your literacy education at BSU, you’ll take part in one of the only literacy studies minor programs in the state. We also keep the course work current with the latest research and methodologies to help you get the most out of your literacy minor.

Personalized advising when you need it

BSU emphasizes advising as an important part of your educational journey. Struggling with balancing a degree program and your literacy studies minor? Reach out to your advisor to get referrals for academic assistance, career counseling and other resources to help you thrive at BSU and after graduation.

A literacy minor with credentials you can trust

Our literacy studies minor is approved through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as part of our elementary and early childhood education programs. It has also been revised to meet current subject-matter knowledge requirements.

Program of Study for Literacy Studies Minor

Because reading and writing are foundational skills — the gateways to learning almost everything — literacy education is imperative.

At BSU, our literacy minor will help you view students’ literacy development through a global and critical lens.

Throughout your literacy education, some courses you may take include:

Teaching Content Area Literacies in Elementary and Early Childhood Classrooms, which delves into the ways in which literacy integrates with all disciplines.
Exploring New Literacies, in which you’ll learn how reading and writing in a digital environment differs from traditional reading and writing.
The Writer’s Workshop for the Classroom, K–12, which immerses you in your own writing while you learn effective approaches to teaching writing.

Click link below to reveal program's course detail.

Program details from 2024-2025 Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog

Careers in Literacy Education

A literacy studies minor is a perfect complement to education degrees. But what will literacy education add to your career if you don’t plan to become a teacher?

At BSU, our students minoring in literacy studies gain strong skills that help them effectively communicate orally and in writing, no matter their field.

If you do plan to become a teacher, what will literacy education add to the rest of your studies? Not only will you garner additional expertise that will inform your teaching of reading and writing, but your literacy minor will help you enhance the rest of your classroom practices, too.

Our graduates have gone on to become K–12 teachers, as well as tutors, adult educators and more.

2 female students sitting at a classroom desk reading papers and writing

Continue your education beyond your Literacy Studies minor

Are you thinking of pursuing graduate school after you’ve completed your undergraduate programs? If you choose to continue your studies beyond your bachelor’s degree and literacy education minor, consider these graduate programs in education at BSU:

Early Childhood Education, MEd
Educational Leadership, MEd
Higher Education Administration, MEd
PreK–12 Education, MEd

View BSU Graduate Programs »

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