FARMINGTON — The University of Maine at Farmington Office of Educational Outreach is offering four teacher education certificate programs to help educators throughout the state remain current in their field and prepare to seek greater career opportunities, according to a UMF press release.

Graduate certificates provide an accelerated and affordable way for educators to learn new skills while strengthening their resume with updated professional credentials. “These certificate programs provide teachers with an opportunity to develop a specific area of interest and expertise, often meeting the expressed needs of schools or districts,” said Katherine Yardley, UMF associate provost and dean of the college of education, health and rehabilitation.

UMF launched three teacher education certificate programs in Sept. 2013, including those for Math Leadership, Gifted and Talented and Administration. New for the 2014 spring semester, is a certificate for Applied Behavior Analysis. This recently-added certificate program focuses on skills and knowledge necessary to work with children with autism and behavior issues.

Each of these certificate programs is comprised of four, three-credit courses taught by a member of the UMF faculty. Courses are structured according to a blended model that includes both online and in class instruction, with some classroom learning taking place at educational institutions around the state.

Information and applications for these UMF certificate programs are available online at http://gradstudies.umf.maine.edu/certificate/. January application deadlines vary according to program or when course is filled.