UMaine Ed Leadership program to offer courses leading to Maine DOE athletic director certification

The Maine Department of Education (Maine DOE) recently changed its requirements for professional certification to become an athletic director for K-12 schools in the state. 

Athletic directors are now expected to have building administrator certification as well as coursework in athletic administration. To meet anticipated demand, the University of Maine’s Educational Leadership program, part of the College of Education and Human Development, will begin offering a sequence of courses this fall that fulfills the Maine DOE requirements for athletic director certification. 

The course sequence includes:

• EAD 656: Social and Ethical Foundations of Leadership (offered in the fall)
• EAD 698: Interscholastic Athletics: Philosophy, Organization and Programs (spring)
• EAD 698: Athletic Administration: Principles, Strategies and Methods (summer)
• EAD 698: Athletic Administration: Legal Issues (fall)

For educators who need to earn their building-level administrator certification, the UMaine Educational Leadership program offers the Try on Leadership graduate certificate, a four-course, 12-graduate credit program that can lead to conditional Assistant Building Administrator certification through Maine DOE. The Try on Leadership certificate includes:

• EAD 615: The Principalship (fall)
• EAD 651: Organizational Behavior in Education (spring)
• EAD 531: School Law for Administrators (summer)
• SED 520: Law and Policy Affecting Individuals with Disabilities (fall and summer)

The Try on Leadership courses can be taken concurrently or sequentially with the athletic administration coursework. All classes meet 100% virtually via UMaineOnline, and are taught by instructors with years of experience with Maine schools and school districts. 
For more information: Dr. Maria Frankland, Lecturer and Program Coordinator in Educational Leadership, maria.frankland@maine.edu.