For post-baccalaureate students, UMM offers professional coursework leading to Elementary Certification (K-8), Secondary Certification (7-12), in the fields of Art, English, History, Life or Physical Science, or Mathematics, as well as certification in Special Education (K-12). It is possible to complete the certification program within three semesters if all content requirements are fulfilled. Maine has specific content requirements for Elementary Education Certification, but requirements for Secondary Certification in Maine vary according to the content area. Students with foreign educational credentials must submit transcripts for analysis to a credentialing agency.
Elementary Education Certificate requirements include 24 credit hours in liberal arts; six in English, six in Mathematics, six in Science, and six in Social Studies. Secondary Certification requires 24 credits in a content area. These courses may be completed prior to or after acceptance. Teacher Certification Programs require approximately 110 hours of classroom observation which may be accomplished in your local area school. Students must also satisfy the UMM residency requirement for certificate programs, taking at least 12 credit hours through UMM.
Additional requirements include maintaining a GPA of 2.5 in professional coursework, and successfully passing the Educational Testing Service’s (http://www.ets.org) Praxis I Core Academic Skills for Educators and Praxis II exams. Passing scores are required prior to student teaching application in October or March of the semester preceding student teaching.
Maine certification is generally transferable to other states and Canadian provinces. Due to our high Praxis cut scores, Maine has reciprocity with 40 states, New Brunswick, Ontario and Nova Scotia. Students should consult an advisor from the education faculty for specifics about this process.
Those wanting to teach in New Brunswick will want to accrue a total of 60 hours of Education courses in order to receive a New Brunswick Certification 5. These may be fulfilled by taking additional EDU courses offered on campus, on-line or from other UMS institutions. UMM also offers 40 credits in online Special Education (SED) courses which may be taken during fall, spring and summer. New Brunswick Elementary Certification seekers are also required to have at least 1 credit in a teachable art, music and physical education. We offer viable classes at UMM.
For more information on UMM’s Education Programs, see Teacher Preparation Programs .
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