Licensure/Certification

The Child Development and Family Relations minor is a non-licensure program. Students who wish to pursue teacher certification in Maine must be enrolled in a major or pathway that leads to initial licensure, such as the Early Childhood Education concentration in the Child Development and Family Relations major, or the Elementary Education or Secondary Education majors. Students in non-College of Education and Human Development undergraduate programs can opt to double major in their current program and an initial teacher certification program. If you are interested in teacher certification, the double major is a better option than the minor.    

UMaine also offers an accelerated 4+1 Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree program, which leads to initial teacher certification and a master’s degree in five years, and is open to undergraduate students across the University of Maine System. For students from other institutions or those who already have a bachelor’s degree, we also offer a traditional two-year M.A.T. that leads to teacher certification.