A female teacher with glasses holding a story book sits next to a female elementary student in glasses who is pointing to the words on the story book's page as she reads. A female teacher with glasses holding a story book sits next to a female elementary student in glasses who is pointing to the words on the story book's page as she reads. Teacher helping student

Structured Language and Literacy Intervention
Graduate Certificate

Literacy intervention graduate certificate overview

Help students overcome literacy challenges with specialized training in literacy intervention. This fully online certificate is designed for educators, speech-language pathologists and other professionals. It will equip you with the skills to identify and treat literacy disorders, ensuring all students receive the support they need to succeed. 

Program Snapshot

Program Type: Full-Time, Part-Time
Location: Online
Credit Hours: 18

Why pursue a literacy intervention certificate?

Our online certificate is ideal for working professionals and current students who want to develop expertise in literacy intervention. With fully online courses, you can advance your skills while balancing your education and career.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Identify and support students with literacy disorders, including dyslexia.
  • Assess reading difficulties and implement effective intervention strategies.
  • Apply structured literacy approaches in diverse learning environments.

Courses include:

  • Supporting students with literacy disorders
  • Knowledge of diverse readers (including dyslexia)
  • Diagnosis and treatment of reading difficulties
  • Literacy clinical practicum

Application guidelines

When applying through the application portal, select “Graduate Student” on CMU’s main campus.

  • Current or former CMU graduate students: Select “I have a waiver” and choose “current graduate status.”
  • Current CMU undergraduate juniors or seniors: Schedule a meeting with Dr. Katie Squires or Dr. Stephanie Richards to complete an Accelerated Graduate Degree Program Acknowledgement and Approval Form.

Courses What Will Transfer Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

What sets our literacy intervention certificate apart?

  • Expert-led training: A partnership between the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions and the College of Education and Human Services.
  • Flexible online format: Designed to fit the schedule of working professionals and students, our fully online program allows you to learn from anywhere without putting your life or career on hold.
  • Industry-recognized certification: After completing six courses and passing the Knowledge and Practice Examination for Effective Reading Instruction (KPEERI), you’ll be certified as a Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist. Our program is accredited by the International Dyslexia Association—the only one in Michigan with this distinction.

With our literacy intervention graduate certificate, advance your career and make a difference in students' lives.


Accelerated graduate certificate

Earn up to 50% of your graduate certificate while you finish your bachelor’s degree with an accelerated graduate program. You may be able to double-count 9 credits.

By double-counting all 9 credits, domestic students save up to $2,493 and international students save up to $936.

    • Minimum GPA at time of application: 3.0 GPA of at least 15 credits at CMU.
    • Requirements to maintain eligibility: average of 3.0 and no E's in double-counted courses.

    If your GPA is lower than a 3.0 or you have fewer than 15 credits at CMU, you can still be considered for admission if you demonstrate why you are prepared to be successful in graduate coursework.

    You must have a minimum of 60 undergraduate credit hours completed before starting coursework in this accelerated reading specialist certification. To take full advantage of the program, make sure you apply for admission before taking any of the double-counted courses listed below.

    • Up to 9 credits of the following courses can be double-counted:
      • CSD 512; EDU 533; EDU 537 or CSD 545
    • You'll select your double-counted courses with an advisor. Then, you'll count them towards both your undergraduate degree and your graduate certificate – either for your major or as electives.

    After earning your bachelor's degree, you'll take at least 9 credits to complete this graduate certificate. If you don't complete the 9 double-counted credits before finishing your bachelor's degree, you'll need to take the remaining courses as graduate credits to complete the 18 credits required for the Structured Language and Literacy graduate certificate.

    The Structured Language and Literacy graduate certificate requires 18 credits. You may double-count 9 credits before finishing your bachelor's degree, leaving 9 credits remaining to complete your graduate certificate. If you don't complete all 9 double-counted credits before you finish your bachelor's degree, you'll need to take more than 9 credits to reach the 18 credits required for the certificate.

    A speech language pathologist student wears headphones as a professor speaks into a microphone. The student is sitting at a desk across from the professor inside of an office.

    Where a literacy intervention certificate can take you

    Literacy challenges often go hand in hand with communication disorders—and professionals trained in literacy intervention play a vital role in supporting students with diverse needs. From identifying dyslexia to treating reading difficulties, your skills can create real change in a student’s life. Interested in the bigger picture? Learn how literacy connects to speech-language pathology, a field focused on helping people communicate and thrive.

    Check out our speech-language pathology blog

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