Education Major

As an education major, you will have the opportunity to earn dual certification to teach elementary school children and children with moderate disabilities in Massachusetts.

At a Glance

Flexibility

Full Time
Delivery Options

On Campus
Degree

BA

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What courses will you take?

A male UMass Lowell UTeach student interacts with a student at the Sullivan School in Lowell, Mass.

Approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, UMass Lowell’s B.A. in Education offers vibrant and innovative education courses alongside a rich blend of liberal arts and sciences courses, giving you both the content and teaching knowledge you need to succeed.

Starting in the first year of the program, you’ll have an immediate introduction to teaching. Guided by UMass Lowell’s faculty, who are expert teachers, you’ll teach in our local partner schools in both urban and suburban settings.

As a teacher candidate, you will complete five methods courses (Reading, Language and Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies), and two courses focused on family and community engagement and working with emergent bilingual students. In the senior year, you will complete two teaching practica, requiring 600 hours of class-time experience.

The B.A. in Education has two options:

Disability Studies for Educational and Community Organizations Option (a non-licensure program)
Elementary and Moderate Disabilities Option (with endorsement for licensure)

We also offer the STEM Teaching minor (UTeach), an innovative undergraduate teacher preparation program designed to give STEM majors the opportunity to investigate and prepare for a career in teaching math, science or engineering in high school.

Visit the Academic Catalog for a complete course listing and to learn about the Education minor.

Degree Pathways are a semester-by-semester sequence of courses recommended for successful completion of a degree, diploma, credential or certificate from the university. The most current degree pathways are:

Visit the Academic Catalog for all degree pathways, including those from prior enrollment years.

Students who successfully complete the BA Ed. degree will have fulfilled the Massachusetts Subject Matter Knowledge and Pedagogical Content Knowledge standards as well as the Professional Standards for Teaching. As a result of completing the degree, teacher candidates will have achieved the following pedagogical learning outcomes listed below.

The ability to:

Draw on appropriate content knowledge and student data to plan curricula that provide high quality instruction for all students.
Assess student learning and provide feedback to improve performance and inform instruction.
Choose appropriate strategies for teaching all learners, including students who are English learners and students with moderate disabilities
Create a learning environment which is fair, equitable and conducive to learning for students from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Manage classroom materials and student behaviors effectively.
Reflect on one’s own practice to enhance the classroom experience and learning of students.
Collaborate with families, to create and implement strategies for supporting student learning and development both at home and at school.

Additionally, through liberal arts and sciences course work, students will:

Demonstrate their ability to examine and evaluate credibility of sources, and synthesize information effectively and persuasively.
Express their ideas in writing and orally with clarity.
Interpret numerical information accurately and use it to inform decisions.
Apply their content knowledge accurately in classroom settings.

Important information specific to teaching:

In order to demonstrate their learning and be eligible for teaching licenses in Massachusetts, students will be required to pass the appropriate MTELs (Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure). All MTEL examinations must be passed in order to receive licenses in Elementary Education (grades 1-6) and Moderate Disabilities (grades PK-8).

Communications and Literacy (composed of Reading and Writing sub-tests)
General Curriculum (composed of Multi-Subject and Math sub-Tests)
Foundations of Reading

Why study education at UMass Lowell?

Advanced Facilities

Learn to teach using our facilities and technologies, including:

Newly renovated Coburn Hall, complete with a Makerspace and model teaching classroom
Mursion™ Virtual Reality Simulation to help you develop your classroom management skills

Expert Faculty

Through outreach and research, our faculty brings real change to schools, ultimately improving the lives of students. Research areas include:

Working with English learners
Early literacy
Instructional leadership
STEM education

A UMass Lowell education student sits at a table with two young students in a school classroom

Professional Growth & Scholarships

Throughout the program, you will have opportunities to meet with teachers and principals and attend professional development sessions to learn about your chosen career.

In addition, all teacher candidates are eligible to apply for a variety of UMass Lowell scholarships and to work in schools as tutors, for which stipends are available.

A UMass Lowell UTeach student interacts with students in a classroom.

Bachelor’s-to-Master's Program

Get on the fast track to an advanced degree with our combined bachelor's-to-master's program.

Available to juniors and seniors with a grade point average of 3.000 or better
Offers a continuous, coordinated sequence of courses
Reduced credit-hour requirements can save you time and money

What can you do with a degree in education?

UMass Lowell's education program produces successful teacher candidates who are endorsed to teach elementary education (1-6) and moderate disabilities (PK-8) in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Massachusetts has reciprocal agreements with many states for candidates who wish to teach elsewhere in the U.S.