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Education

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Ready to Cultivate Young Minds?

The University of Maine at Farmington has been producing skilled and passionate teachers for 160 years and counting. You’ll learn from experienced educators and have numerous opportunities to learn by doing, so you can hit the ground running as a new teacher or take your current career to the next level.

Explore Our Teacher Education Programs

Undergraduate

Graduate

1864

UMF was founded as a teacher preparation school, and is Maine’s first public university.

Teaching Labs

You’ll have access to modern teaching facilities, including our new Sweatt-Winter Early Care and Education Center.

95%

Among our recent education graduates, nearly 95% said they were “Very Satisfied” or “Satisfied” with their experience at UMF.

16 Weeks

That’s how much time you’ll spend teaching in a real classroom as part of your student teaching requirement.

85%

Percentage of students who are employed in teaching within 1 year of graduation.

CAEP Accredited

UMF is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Education Programs (CAEP), the gold standard in teacher preparation.

Female student working to build legos with two children

Don’t Just Learn — Do

From year one until graduation, real-world learning will be a focus of your education at UMF. That includes access to teaching labs, volunteer opportunities at local schools, and your 16-week student teaching experience. Helping to shape young minds in your first real classroom is something that will stay with you for a lifetime.

Student Teaching Experiential Learning

Reasons Why UMF

When people think of the University of Maine at Farmington, they think of the college that produces the best and brightest new teachers. And they should — we’ve been doing exactly this for 161 years.

UMF is a nationally accredited Education program.

We have an extensive network of placement sites for student teaching and internships.

Field experiences are a key component of our programs.

We provide individual attention.

Our faculty have real-world experience teaching in schools at all levels.

We have extensive resources for educators.

When I was a UMF student, I did my Early Childhood Education internship right here at Spring Point Children’s Center in South Portland. Having those real-world, in-classroom hours, and being able to say I have firsthand experience working in a classroom and being mentored by experienced teachers, was so valuable.

Allyson Conley

Director, Spring Point Children’s Center at SMCC, Portland, Maine

Making an Impact Throughout Maine

State teachers of the year. School principals. Policymakers — and even a National Milken Educator Award winner. As a premier and innovative teacher preparation school, our graduates are making an impact in schools and districts throughout Maine, New England, and beyond.

Success After UMF

News & Events

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NEW FEATURE – UMF Stories: Becky Hallowell, UMF alumna and 2025 Maine Teacher of the Year, wraps up a remarkable year

March 16, 2026

Becky Hallowell, a University of Maine at Farmington alumna and fourth grade teacher at Wiscasset Elementary School is wrapping up a remarkable year as the 2025 Maine Teacher of the Year—a year she says felt like a “whirlwind of opportunities.”…

Middle school students, enjoy reading to a young friend at UMF Sweatt-Winter Child Care and Early Education Center’s National Read Across America buddy reading.

Children at UMF Sweatt-Winter Center and Mt. Blue Middle School 8th graders share the joy of reading with Reading Buddy program

March 10, 2026

FARMINGTON, ME (March 10, 2026)—Reading was a team effort recently at the UMF Sweatt-Winter Child Care and Early Education Center when students from the Mt. Blue Middle School stopped by to read with a buddy for National Read Across America week.

Devyn De Leonardis, UMF Elementary Education major, helping students with telescope project.

UMF Pre-Service Teachers welcome students from five Maine Island Schools for hands-on learning

December 03, 2025

FARMINGTON, ME (December 3, 2025)—University of Maine at Farmington Associate Professor of Literacy Education Kathryn Will and a group of UMF pre-service teachers recently welcomed more than 60 K-8 students, parents, educators and community partners from one- and two-room Maine Island…

UMF peer tutors and Student Learning Commons coordinator

UMF peer tutors present innovative approach to support student success at Maine Peer Educators Summit

November 03, 2025

FARMINGTON, ME (November 3, 2025)—UMF Learning Commons Coordinator Misty Beck and UMF student peer educators recently presented their innovative approach to supporting student success at the first annual Maine Peer Educators Summit held at Bates College. In their presentation, they highlighted how the Student…

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