Elementary, Special Education are Focus of New Bachelor’s Degree

05/22/2017

Media contacts:  Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

LOWELL, Mass. – Responding to the growing demand from school districts for elementary and special education teachers, UMass Lowell is introducing a Bachelor of Arts degree in education. 

Starting this fall, students may earn dual certification to teach elementary school in grades one to six and children with moderate disabilities in pre-kindergarten to eighth grade in Massachusetts. It’s the first program in Massachusetts to offer this dual certification.

“Building on UMass Lowell's long legacy of preparing excellent teachers, this new degree will develop a generation of teachers who have the skills to work with all students in today’s increasingly diverse classrooms,” said College of Education Dean Anita Greenwood. “They will be technologically competent, community-engaged and ready to make a difference.”   

The U.S. Department of Education and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce each report shortages of teachers prepared to work with special needs students. The College of Education surveyed partner school districts and found that 95 percent needed dual-licensed elementary teachers who had the skills to teach children with disabilities in inclusive classroom settings.

“We designed this program to fill a void in the commonwealth for more elementary teachers who can teach children with moderate disabilities,” Greenwood said. “The curriculum includes a rich blend of liberal arts and sciences courses, together with education courses that give students the confidence and knowledge to succeed.”

The unique elements of the program, for which scholarships are available, include an immediate introduction to teaching during the freshman year, field-based course work throughout the program, a curriculum that blends classes in the liberal arts and sciences as well as education and two full-time teaching practica in senior year. The senior-year practicum experiences – teaching elementary students and students with moderate disabilities in local public schools – give teacher candidates opportunities to work side-by-side with experienced teachers and students. 

With the introduction of the bachelor’s degree program, UMass Lowell has renamed its Graduate School of Education the College of Education, as it was originally known until 1998 when it shifted its focus toward graduate degrees as state teaching requirements changed. 

UMass Lowell took a step toward reviving undergraduate teacher training with the launch of the UTeach program in 2012, a national initiative through which undergraduates majoring in the sciences and engineering can earn a minor in secondary STEM education and become certified to teach. The success of the UTeach program, coupled with the demand from school districts for more elementary teachers who are prepared to work with children with moderate disabilities, led to the development of the new undergraduate degree.

With the addition of the new degree, the college now offers a range of options for individuals who wish to become teachers, teachers who would like to become administrators and administrators who would like to advance their careers. Programs address both K-12 and higher education. Offerings include undergraduate minors in education including the UTeach program and bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in education.

With the new bachelor’s degree program, the College of Education will relocate to Coburn Hall, the original home of the Massachusetts State Normal School at Lowell, one of the university’s two original predecessor institutions, where hundreds of teachers were trained during the late 19th and the 20th centuries. Plans are under way to restore the historic building while adding new, innovative instructional spaces and seminar rooms. 

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,750 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu