Elementary Education

The University of Maine at Farmington Elementary Education program, the first CAEP-accredited Education program in Maine, is designed to give you the knowledge and hands-on skills you’ll need to become a caring teacher, a competent educator and a confident professional.

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As a UMF Elementary Education major, you’ll take a sequence of Education courses aligned with national standards designed to provide you with the background knowledge and practical experiences of working with children in Kindergarten through grade six (K-6).

Save more than $5,500 per year in tuition. This University of Maine at Farmington program qualifies for the NEBHE Tuition Break.

Through the NEBHE Tuition Break program, students from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont receive a $5,670 tuition discount on all UMF degree programs.

What Can You Do With A Degree in Elementary Education?

Graduates of our Elementary Education program are eligible for jobs in schools across Maine and around the country.

Data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources. Median Salaries for positions in Maine typically fall below those of other New England states.

Farmington Education grads get hired.

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At Farmington, you’ll get experience inside an elementary school classroom setting early and often. In fact, your first teacher-side-of-the-desk experience will typically happen in your second (sophomore) year.

Here, we connect our Elementary Education students with relevant job and volunteer opportunities around the campus and in the Farmington community.

The first component of your UMF Elementary Education program is the First Year Experience, where you take an introductory course specific to the age group you want to work with as a professional. This allows you to begin gaining experience in the field in your very first year at UMF.

The second component is Practicum. Here, in your sophomore year, you combine coursework in teaching methodology with significant time spent working, teaching, and learning in a public school classroom or early childhood setting.

Next, is the senior capstone experience, Student Teaching — an immersive 16-week program where you’ll work in a professional capacity in a public school or early childhood setting with mentoring by UMF faculty and a mentor-teacher in the field.

Our Education students describe their senior year Student Teaching assignment as the most meaningful experience of their UMF career. It’s when they’re teamed with a mentor school teacher (often a UMF alumnus) and they get to practice in a school classroom what they’ve learned in their UMF college classes.

Finally, UMF Elementary Education students participate in a Portfolio Presentation. Each UMF teacher candidate produces and presents to faculty, staff, fellow UMF students, and the public a professional portfolio of their work including lesson plans, assessments, teaching samples, and more.

Our campus is conveniently located in the heart of the local K-12 school district, within walking distance of the local elementary school.

In addition to your major in Elementary Education, you can choose to minor in any area. You might choose a minor in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Special Education, or Middle-Level Education, all leading to additional teaching endorsements.

Throughout your progress in the Elementary Education program, you’ll work closely with UMF faculty who are content area specialists — teaching methods courses in literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, and technology. You’ll also work with experienced practitioners who will be your off-site supervisors during your Practicum and Student Teaching experiences.

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The University of Maine at Farmington is considered one of the premier teacher education programs in New England.

At our founding in 1864, the University of Maine at Farmington (then called Western State Normal School) took an innovative approach to teacher education, integrating a strong liberal arts foundation into teacher training. Our founders believed that only those with a strong background in the liberal arts could effectively teach the arts and sciences. Obvious as that may seem, it was not the rule among teacher education programs of the time.

Now, 160 years later, the University of Maine at Farmington continues to be recognized for its innovation and excellence in teacher preparation.

• UMF is one of only three nationally accredited teacher education programs in Maine
• UMF was the first in Maine to receive national CAEP accreditation (formerly NCATE) 
• UMF received full Maine State Board of Education accreditation
• UMF full-time faculty supervise you in your off-campus practicum and student-teaching field experiences

The UMF Center for Assistive Technology is the only public or private university-based assistive technology lending and demonstration center in Maine.

Assistive Technology is any device or product that makes it easier for someone with a disability to live more independently. Here, you’ll have full access to specialized on-campus education-focused resources such as UMF’s Children’s Programs and our Spenciner Curriculum Materials Center, which includes assistive technology resources, children’s literature, and early childhood curricula.

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Contact Us

Office of Admissions
University of Maine at Farmington
246 Main Street
Farmington, Maine USA 04938-1994
tel  207-778-7050
fax  207-778-8182
TYY (via Maine Relay Service) dial 711
umfadmit@maine.edu