The University of Southern Maine (USM) Undergraduate Teacher Education program prepares well-rounded and insightful educators who are deeply knowledgeable in the subject areas that they’ll teach.
The benefits to our Teacher Education Pathways:
- Expertise in the content you’ll teach: By studying the content areas that you’ll teach, you’ll be prepared as an engaging and resourceful educator.
- Experience in the classroom: You’ll gain more classroom experience here than any other teacher preparation program in the state of Maine. Field experience begins with classroom observation during your first year and continues during your second and third years. Your final year includes a year-long student teaching internship.
- Cohort-based learning communities: During your internship year, your courses are arranged by cohort. This means that you and a group of roughly 20 fellow students will work in the same school district and study together.
- Expanded career options: You’ll be qualified for a wide range of employment opportunities upon graduation, including careers within and outside the field of education.
Experience in the Classroom: Early and Often
We’re proud of our school partnerships with Southern Maine districts, which allow our students to gain experience in a mixture of urban, suburban, and rural school settings.
Field experience begins with classroom observation during your first year of studies, which is earlier than many other undergraduate teacher preparation programs. Most of our teacher preparation courses integrate field experience into the curriculum, so you’ll continue classroom observation throughout your second and third years.
Your final year includes a year-long internship of student teaching, during which you’ll gain experience in two different school settings or grade levels.