PORTLAND, Maine — The University of Southern Maine announced Friday it will be offering a new bachelor's degree in special education.
The university said in a news release the decision seeks to aid in Maine's shortage of special education teachers.
"Geared toward those already working in schools, particularly as ed techs, the program is fully online, accepts prior learning credits and course transfers, and allows students to complete their student-teaching internship while working their current job as an ed tech," the release said.
Additionally, the new program offers the option of an apprenticeship, a new initiative that is co-sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor, the university said. As teacher apprentices, students will work for a sponsoring school district in order to complete specific degree requirements as part of their jobs, according to the release.
"USM has agreements with several southern Maine school districts, including Gorham, Scarborough, and SAD 6, to hire apprentices who will complete their associate’s degrees through Southern Maine Community College and then complete their bachelor’s degree in special education at USM," the release stated.
Through an articulation agreement, graduates of Southern Maine Community College in South Portland will be able to seamlessly transfer to USM and begin their bachelor's degree in special education.
"Because we don't have enough special educators in Maine, we really want to find a way to build capacity from within the ranks of folks already interested in this type of work," Rachel Brown-Chidsey, associate professor of special education at USM, said.
Prior to this new degree, USM has already been offering a master's degree in special education and said this is the first time in at least 30 years that it will be offering a bachelor's in the area of study.
USM said the University of Maine System's Board of Trustees approved this new degree in July, and the program begins this fall, open to applicants of all backgrounds. USM added applications are now being accepted for spring 2024 as well.
For more information about the new degree, click here.