FARMINGTON — Looking to advance your professional skills or retrain for a new career transition? The University of Maine at Farmington has created five new graduate-level career-skills certificates that can help give college graduates and working professionals a competitive advantage.

These professional certificates are composed of four or five graduate-level courses that will provide individuals with a strong foundation of knowledge and demonstrate their competency, proficiency and professional commitment.

“Farmington’s Graduate Program offers working professionals a wide range of credit-based academic credentials, including new certificate programs in professional writing, human resources, and three timely new education certificates. We offer master’s degree programs in education and counseling psychology, and courses for teacher recertification, all specifically designed to help working professionals fine tune their skills and grow in expertise,” said Joseph McDonnell, UMF president.

Fully online, Farmington’s new graduate certificate programs provide a flexible, student-focused approach to build proficiency in a specialized area. Once complete, these certificates can provide stand-alone, trackable professional development or can be applied as a transferable, stackable credential towards a master’s degree.

UMF’s new graduate-level certificates include:

Human Resources Management — designed for individuals working in school districts, non-profit organizations and small businesses who are striving to improve their Human Resources Management expertise. Courses focus on HR management; organizational theory and design in non-profit organizations; legal issues; and employee training, compensation and benefits.

Professional Writing — created to build and broaden an individual’s professional communication skill set. Courses include writing for the workplace, internet, grant writing and graphic design.

STEAM for Early and Elementary Educators — designed for educators who want to explore the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) in their classrooms. Courses focus on engineering, design thinking and introduction to STEAM for early learners and elementary students, in addition to two electives.

Nature-Based Education — designed for educators working across all age levels interested in connecting their students with the natural world around them and developing hands-on learning experiences. Courses include an introduction to nature-based education and outdoor learning, programming, leadership and natural history of Maine and New England, in addition to two electives.

Climate Education — created to prepare educators to integrate topics around climate change and related issues into their teaching. Courses include climate change and sustainable education and the geosphere, biosphere, resilience and adaptation and sustainability education.

The Human Resources, Professional Writing, STEAM and Nature-Based Education Certificate programs begin in fall 2023. Registration is now open for these certificates.

The Climate Education Certificate program begins in January 2024.

For more information visit: https://www.umf.maine.edu/grad-studies/grad-certificate-programs/

or contact Erin Connor, UMF associate dean for Graduate and Continuing Education, erin.l.connor@maine.edu or 207-778-7186.

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