Education Degrees offered at University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst appears in our ranking of the Top 20 Best Online Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education Degree Programs.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has several programs in its College of Education. The undergraduate, master’s specialist, doctorate, and licensure programs in children, families, and schools. This program is for those wishing to study child development and learning. Students in this program can specialize in early childhood education. The other primary undergraduate degree at Umass Amherst is special education.
For those interested in teaching, Umass Amherst offers a licensure program and a master’s degree in elementary education. This program includes a 10-month Collaborative Teacher Education Pathway (CTEP), allowing students to earn a master’s degree and license in elementary education. This program is popular for individuals switching careers into the teaching field.
Some of the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s other programs in the College of Education include graduate programs in higher education, educational leadership, international education, math and learning technologies, research and educational measurement/psychometrics, secondary teacher education, social justice education, special education, teacher education and school improvement, and language, literacy, and culture.
In addition to these traditional teaching licensure tracks, students interested in teaching specific arts courses can also find master’s and doctoral degree programs in art education and music education. There are also programs in school counseling and school psychology within the School of Education.
Finally, in the College of Education, students can earn either a master’s degree or specialist certificate in special education completely online. This program is geared toward elementary and middle school teachers, as well as special education teachers at all grade levels.
The College of Education enjoys a positive working relationship with Upward Bound, a non-profit organization serving students who are high school students that are low-income students and the first in their family to be on track to attend college. Umass Amherst works with these high school students to build academic schools, provide tutoring and test prep, and to offer college-prep workshops.
As a research institution, the education programs at Umass Amherst focus on preparing educational scholars, allowing students and graduates to further educational theory, research, and policy. The College of Education conducts research at several Umass Amherst research centers: The Ronald H. Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research & Evaluation, Center for Youth Engagement, Center for Student Success Research, Center for International Education, Center for Educational Policy, and Center for Educational Assessment.
About the University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a rural public research university located about 90 miles from Boston. It has a current enrollment of approximately 24,000 undergraduate and 7,000 graduate students taught by 1,300 full-time faculty. The university has 109 bachelor’s degree program, in addition to 77 master’s programs and 48 doctoral programs within nine schools and colleges.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst places a significant focus on research, with nearly $210 million in research expenditures in 2017. The university also has the largest library at a state-supported institution in New England.
The U.S. News and World Report ranked the University of Massachusetts Amherst as 26th out of 700 public four-year colleges and universities in the United States. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance ranked the University of Massachusetts Amherst as among the 100 “Best College Values”. The National Science Foundation stated that Umass Amherst was ranked fourth in research grants from the NSF, with only MIT, Harvard, and Boston University ranking higher. Campus Pride also ranked Umass Amherst as one of the best colleges for LGBTQ students. A unique ranking comes from Princeton Review, which ranked the university as #1 for “Best Campus Food” for the past two successive years.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst also boasts seven faculty and nine student Fulbright scholars. They also have several Goldwater, Boren, Beinecke, and Marshall scholars.
University of Massachusetts Amherst Accreditation Details
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The university’s education program-specific accreditations are as follows:
- National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE): M.A. in Art Education, Ph.D. in Music Education, B.A., M.Ed, Ed.S, and Ph.D. in Education (licensure preparation program), Ph.D. and Ed.S in School Psychology
- National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD): M.A. in Art Education
- National Association of Schools of Music (NASM): B.A., B.Mus., M.M., and Ph.D. in Music Education
University of Massachusetts Amherst Application Requirements
Admission to the University of Massachusetts Amherst is highly competitive. For the class of 2021, there were 41,800 applicants for 4,700 seats. The average GPA of accepted incoming freshman for last year was 3.89, in addition to an average combined SAT score of 1268.
All accepted students into the College of Education at the undergraduate level will first be put in an exploratory track. This track allows students to explore all of the options in the field of education before declaring a specialization.
Both undergraduate and graduate applicants can apply through the school’s website. Undergraduate students submit an essay, two potential major choices, criminal history (if applicable), an $80 application fee, transcripts, a letter of recommendation and test scores.
Graduate students must submit an application by January 2nd for fall admission and by October 1st for spring admission. Graduate students must submit an $80 application fee, certified electronic college transcripts, a personal statement and resume, social security number, two letters of recommendation, and a statement of Massachusetts residency (if applicable).
Tuition and Financial Aid
University of Massachusetts Amherst undergraduate tuition for Massachusetts residents is $15,887 and for non-residents is $34,570. In-state graduate tuition is $8,200 for a 12-credit semester, while out-of-state is $16,8000 per 12-credit semester.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers a full range of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students, both need-based and merit-based. Over the past decade, Umass Amherst’s College of Education has awarded over 151 scholarships, totaling nearly $225,000. The university has an endowment of over $1 million dedicated to scholarships for students in the College of Education.
More information on the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s undergraduate and graduate programs in the field of education can be found on the College of Education’s website.