About the College

The College of Education and Human Development is the largest provider of undergraduate and graduate professional education programs and educational policy research in Maine. The College’s graduate programs prepare teachers and other specialists to apply research-based knowledge, field-tested experience and the latest technology to help address the changing needs of schools, colleges, children and families. As the home of statewide, regional and national research and professional development programs, the College’s work is informed and innovative.

Graduate programs are designed to enrich and extend theory, practice and leadership. The hallmark of graduate work at the College is mentoring-working closely with a faculty advisor whose goal is to ensure that student programs meet unique needs. Small classes, led by widely recognized faculty, encourage debate, inquiry, and discussion based on real experiences and current issues. Flexibility is built into individual programs to allow the greatest impact in specific areas of need. This same commitment to individual growth and inquiry is ingrained in outreach and distance education. Faculty members travel around the state each year to teach graduate courses and consult with cohorts of students who live too far from campus for a reasonable commute, and offer many courses using distance formats.

Accreditation

The College’s educator preparation programs are fully accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and approved by the Maine Department of Education.

Financial Aid

A number of College of Education and Human Development graduate assistantships are available for qualified students from the master through the doctoral levels. A decision on financial aid is made only after a completed application for admission has been received and approved. The College administers the Linda N. Lancaster Fund, which is designated to help cover some professional development expenses of graduate students, such as travel to conferences. Graduate Assistantships in various student affairs offices, based on application to the specific office, serve a number of students especially in our programs in Higher Education and Student Development. This catalog describes other financial aid opportunities elsewhere.

Overview of Degrees

The College offers a variety of graduate programs leading to the Master of Education, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Science, the Certificate of Advanced Study, Doctor of Education, and Doctor of Philosophy. The Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy degrees require a dissertation. The Master of Arts and Master of Science degrees require a thesis; the Certificate of Advanced Study, Master of Education and Master of Arts in Teaching are non-thesis programs. A number of specialty areas or concentrations are available for each degree program. Graduate students, in consultation with their advisors, plan their programs based on Graduate School and College requirements, certification guidelines, professional association recommendations, and individual goals. More information about specific graduate programs is available on the College of Education and Human Development website https://umaine.edu/edhd/graduate/

Master of Education

The Master of Education (M.Ed.) is intended to enhance the preparation of educational professionals in specialty areas. The degree is granted on completion of a planned program of study that includes a minimum of 33-60 semester hours, depending on the discipline. Those semester hours may include up to 6 hours of approved transfer coursework from a fully accredited college or university which would be acceptable at that institution in partial fulfillment of its requirements for a graduate degree, or up to 12 hours of approved transfer coursework from the University of Maine. In lieu of a thesis, M.Ed. programs require completion of a comprehensive paper, project, portfolio, or oral examination, generally during the final semester or year of study. The purpose of this requirement is to enable demonstration of learning that has taken place across the program as a whole. All work for the M.Ed. program must be completed within six years of matriculation.

Eligibility for admission to M.Ed. programs is based on completion of prerequisites for the specific program. Some PreK-12 programs require prior teacher certification. However, an applicant from another undergraduate program may establish eligibility by meeting essential prerequisites. In accordance with Graduate School regulations, all thesis candidates must take the Graduate Record Examination. Non-thesis candidates may take either the Miller Analogies Test or the GRE, if required by their specific program. Applicants should allow up to six weeks for scores to be sent to the Graduate School.

Certificate of Advanced Study

The Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) provides a cohesive program of professional development beyond the master’s level for educational specialists. A master’s degree in the C.A.S. subject matter or related area is required for admission. The program of study is individually planned by the student and the student’s advisor. For candidates with a master’s degree in the subject matter, a minimum of 30 credit hours of work beyond the master’s level is required to earn the C.A.S. Candidates without a master’s degree in the subject matter will be required to complete additional credits beyond the program’s minimum degree requirements. Candidates must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours in professional education coursework at the 500- and/or 600-level at the University of Maine. All work for the C.A.S. must be completed within six years.

Master of Arts

The Master of Arts degree requires a thesis and a minimum of 30 credit hours including credit given for the thesis. The minimum amount of credit for the thesis is 6 hours and in no case may it exceed 15 hours. A graduate student working toward a Master of Arts degree must successfully complete a minimum of 12 hours (exclusive of thesis) of 500- and/or 600- level coursework.

Master of Science

The Master of Science degree requires a thesis and a minimum of 30 credit hours including credit given for the thesis. The minimum amount of credit for the thesis is 6 hours and in no case may it exceed 15 hours. A graduate student working toward a Master of Science degree must successfully complete a minimum of 12 hours (exclusive of thesis) of 500- and/or 600- level coursework.

Master of Arts in Teaching

The Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) is a 36-45 credit hour program for individuals who have a bachelor’s degree in an academic area other than education and wish to pursue certification for a career in teaching. The M.A.T. is a full-time 12-month program that runs June to June. It includes all professional education courses and school internships required for Maine state teacher certification. The M.A.T. prepares individuals for certification in elementary education (K-8) (not available 2013-2014); English, mathematics, life and physical sciences, and social studies at the secondary level (7-12); and foreign languages (K-12). Applicants must submit passing scores, as determined by the State of Maine, on the Praxis I exam. Applicants must also submit passing scores on the Praxis II exam in the appropriate subject area prior to student teaching. Additionally, applicants who wish to be considered for competitively awarded graduate scholarships are encouraged to submit scores on the GRE or Miller Analogies Test. Applicants should also have their undergraduate transcripts evaluated by the Maine Department of Education to determine if they have taken the academic courses necessary to obtain teacher certification in at least one endorsement area. Applicants must be within two courses of completion of those academic prerequisites and complete them prior to receiving the M.A.T.

Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) and/or concentrations within the Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Ph.D.) are offered in the specialty areas of Counselor Education (Ph.D., program at capacity; no applications accepted 2014-2015), Educational Leadership (Ph.D), Higher Education (Ed.D., Ph.D.), Literacy (Ph.D.), Prevention and Intervention Studies (Ph.D.), and STEM Education (Ph.D.). When resources permit, an individually designed Ed.D. may be offered for students whose interests are well developed and combine more than one area of concentration (program at capacity; no applications accepted 2014-2015). All applicants must submit scores on the GRE and meet other admissions requirements of the Graduate School and the specific program. Potential candidates should contact the Program Coordinator for each concentration or the Department Chair prior to submitting an application because some programs are offered only to cohorts and are not open to new students every year. In addition, program requirements, application deadlines, and admissions criteria vary by area (see program descriptions below). Candidates wishing to be considered for Graduate School awards should apply no later than January 15.

 

 

Graduate Faculty

Richard Ackerman, Ed.D. (Harvard, 1989), Professor. Educational Leadership. Leadership formation, school organization, professional development.
 

Elizabeth J. Allan, Ph.D. (The Ohio State University, 1999), Professor, Higher education. Equity policy, gender and education, policy discourse analysis.

James Artesani, Ed.D. (West Virginia University, 1992), Associate Professor, Special Education. Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, Emotional & Behavioral Disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

V. Susan Bennett-Armistead, Ph.D. (Michigan State University, 2006), Associate Professor. Early Literacy.

Catherine Biddle, Ph.D  (Pennsylvania State University, 2015) Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership.

Marcia Nye Boody, C.A.S. (University of Maine, 1998, Literacy Coach Trainer Certificate, University of Arkansas - Little Rock, 2007), Director, Maine Partnerships in Comprehensive Literacy. Literacy education, leadership teams, continuous school improvement.

Stephen A. Butterfield, Ph.D. (Ohio State, 1984), Professor, Kinesiology and Physical Education. Adaptive physical education, motor skills development, special education.

Sandra Caron, Ph.D. (Syracuse, 1986), Professor, Family Relations. Human sexuality, AIDS and families, sexuality education and curriculum development.

Theodore Coladarci, Ph.D. (Stanford, 1980), Professor, Educational Psychology. Statistics, research methodology.

Julie Dellamattera, Ed.D. (University of Maine, 2006), Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education.  Leadership in early education and policies affecting early education teachers.

Justin Dimmel, Ph.D. (University of Michigan, 2015) Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education and Instructional Technology

Janet Fairman, Ph.D. (Rutgers, 1999), Associate Research Professor, Center for Research and Evaluation. Public policy, school reform, assessment.

Susan K. Gardner, Ph.D. (Washington State University, 2005), Interim Dean and Professor of Higher Education.  Doctoral student development, retention, and attrition, new faculty development and socialization processes.

Leah Hakkola, Ph.D.  (University of Minnesota, 2015) Lecturer in Higher Education.

Diane Jackson, Ed.D. (University of Maine, 2000), Lecturer, Special Education. Adapting instruction for students with special needs, math methods in special education.

Richard Kent, Ph.D. (Claremont, 2002), Associate Professor. Literacy. Portfolio pedagogy, adolescent male underachievement in literacy, innovative middle school and high school classrooms.

Robert A. Lehnhard, Ph.D. (Ohio State, 1984), Professor, Kinesiology and Physical Education. Exercise physiology.

Mary Ellin Logue, Ed.D. (University of Massachusetts, 1984), Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education. Parent involvement in children’s learning and schooling, prevention of learning and social difficulties, teacher education, and application of child development research to practice.

Sarah Mackenzie, Ed.D. (Maine, 2002), Associate Professor, Educational Leadership. Collective efficacy and collaborative climate in Maine high schools.

George Marnik, Ed.D. (Maine, 1997), Lecturer, Educational Leadership, Change process in high schools, the principalship.

Kenneth H. Martin, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 2011), Lecturer, Literacy education. Secondary English education, literacy through technology, technology integration, professional development, teacher research.

John Maddaus, Ph.D. (Syracuse, 1987), Associate Professor, Teacher Education. Social and historical foundations of education, educational policy, school choice, parent- teacher communications.

Mary Mahoney-O’Neil, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 2010), Assistant Dean for Academic Services.

Craig Mason, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1993), Director, Center for Research and Evaluation; Professor, Educational Psychology. Quantitative/developmental psychology.

Owen P. Maurais, C.A.S. (University of Maine, 1985), Director, Penobscot River Educational Partnership.\

Ian Mette, Ph.D. (University of Missouri, 2012) Assistant Professor in Ed Leadership

Sidney Mitchell, Ph.D. (McGill, 2001), Associate Professor, Educational Psychology. Student motivation and low achievement, teacher as researcher.

Annette Nelligan, Ed.D. (University of Maine, 1995), Lecturer, Counselor Education.  Implications of technology for counselors, school counseling practice with international student populations, group counseling, and supervision.

William D. Nichols, Ph.D (Texas A&M University) Dean of the College of Education and Human Development.

Christopher Nightingale, Ed.D. (Boston University, 2009) Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Physical Education.

Courtney Pacholski, M.S. (University of Southern Maine, 2011) Lecturer in Special education

Eric A. Pandiscio, Ph.D. (University of Texas at Austin, 1994), Associate Professor, Math Education. Secondary math education, geometric construction software.

Glenn Reif, Ed.D. (Virginia Tech., 1990), Associate Professor, Kinesiology and Physical Education. Physical fitness of children, pedagogy, psychomotor domain activities, standards-based instruction and assessment.

Deborah L. Rooks-Ellis, Ph.D. (University of Arizona, 2009).  Assistant Professor, Early intervention, visual impairment, autism spectrum disorders, severe disabilities, inquiry-based approaches to teaching. 

Mary E. Rosser, M.Ed. (Griffith University, 1992, Reading Recovery Trainer Certificate, Auckland College of Advanced Education 1997), Director, University Training Center for Reading Recovery.

Jonathan T. Shemwell, Ph.D. (Stanford University, 2011), Assistant Professor of Science Education and Cooperating Assistant Professor of Physics. Instructional theory and practice in science.

Janet E. Spector, Ph.D. (Stanford, 1983), Associate Professor, Special Education.  Assessment, reading intervention, learning disabilities, literacy for students with autism spectrum disorders.

Shihfen Tu, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1994). Associate Professor, Educational Psychology. Cognition and perception.

Jane Wellman-Little, (CAS, University of Maine, 1997), Lecturer, Teacher Education. Developmental reading, Reading Recovery.

Patrick Womac, Ph.D. (Clemson University, 2015) Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction. Specialization: Social Studies and Geography Education