Maine Teaching Certificate Programs
Below you’ll find some highlights of the graduate teaching certificate programs available from schools in Maine. These programs are designed for currently licensed teachers looking to advance with add-on certification.
If you’re looking for initial teacher certification programs, check out either our list of Bachelors in Education Programs or Maine Alternative Certification Programs.
Sciences, languages, special education… these areas and more are among Maine’s teacher shortage areas. A large number of impending retirements, combined with fewer teachers coming through the education pipeline have resulted in critical shortages across the state. In the state’s largely rural areas, these shortages are even more pronounced. If you’re looking to add another certification to your current Maine teacher certificate, choosing one that’s identified as a shortage area in the state can benefit both your career and Maine’s K-12 educational system.
As of the 2020-2021 school year, the U.S. Department of Education identified the following teacher shortage areas in Maine:
- Gifted Education: PreK-12
- English as a Second Language: PreK-12
- Latin, French, Italian, Spanish: PreK-12
- Special Education: PreK-12
- Elementary Education
- Physical Science: 7-12
- General Science: 5-8
- Health Science: PreK-12
- Life Sciences: 7-12
- Art: PreK-12
Maine Teacher Certification Options
You have a couple paths for adding a second certification to your existing teaching certificate in Maine:
- A Master’s in Education degree is the ideal way to advance your career and add another content area endorsement to your Maine teacher certification.
- If you’re currently working as a teacher and you want to earn an add-on certification in another content area without completing a full master’s program, then a graduate (post-bachelor’s) teaching certificate program will get you where you want to be without the time and expense of a graduate degree.
Schools in Maine Offering Add-On Teaching Certification Programs
Whether they’re delivered in a hybrid or online format, as a master’s degree or graduate certificate, add-on certification programs provide busy students with a flexible, convenient path to an additional teaching endorsement in another content area.
For example, the University of Maine is home to a great selection of graduate certification programs and master’s programs for currently practicing educators. UMaine offers a stack of graduate certificate programs, all 100% online:
- Autism Spectrum Disorders – 12 credits
- Classroom Technology Integrationist – 12 credits
- Computational Thinking for Educators – 12 credits
- Early Childhood Teacher -12 credits
- High Leverage Practices to Promote Inclusion – 15 credits
- Instructional Design -12 credits
- Library and Media Specialist – 15 credits
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports: RTI for Behavior – 9 credits
- Special Education Leadership: Assistant Special Education Director – 12 credits
- Try on Leadership – 12 credits
The University of New England offers a fully online MSEd for currently licensed teachers with concentrations in areas that promote literacy and inclusion to meet the needs of today’s classrooms:
- MSEd – Reading Specialist (MSEd-RS)
- MSEd – Inclusion Education (MSEd-IE)
There are also two graduate certificate programs available at UNE Online:
- Graduate Certificate in Designing Learning Experiences
- Graduate Certificate in Teaching Online
