University of Maine Farmington was founded back in 1864 as Maine’s first public institution of higher education. It was founded a “Normal School” — a term used to describe a school dedicated to preparing teachers. Today, UMF continues to be a leader in education.

Our College of Education, Health, and Rehabilitation is fully accredited by NCATE, which not only speaks to the outstanding quality of our teacher education programs, but also certifies UMF education graduates to teach in some 33 states across the U.S.

And our teaching graduates are in demand. Each spring, UMF holds Maine’s only teacher-specific job fair and school systems from every county in Maine and from as far away as California, Nevada, Florida and North Carolina regularly descend on our campus eager to hire UMF-certified teachers. Many of our students are even offered jobs right on the spot! (Yes, our reputation is THAT good.)

One of the many things that make our Education, Health, and Rehabilitation programs so strong is the fact that our students are required to practice in the field what they’ve learned in the classroom. They get experience in the classroom often and early (starting in their sophomore year) gaining hands-on, real-world experience. And our Community Health and Recreation students do practicums and internships to fine-tune their skills and build a solid foundation for their future careers.