UMass Global Ranks High in Preparing Students to Become California Teachers

IRVINE, Calif. (August 11, 2022) – University of Massachusetts Global is among California’s top universities in preparing aspiring teachers for California classrooms. Figures released by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing show the university prepared more than 4,000 students pursuing a career in education to earn teaching credentials over a five-year period spanning fiscal years 2016-17 through 2020-21.

The demand for new teachers among some California school districts has received heightened attention as parents prepare their children to make the transition back to in-person learning post-pandemic. For districts that are not facing teacher shortages, these districts will always need new teachers due to natural attrition cycles. UMass Global is proud to play such a substantial role in helping California build, and sustain, a robust teacher pipeline.

“Helping aspiring educators realize their dreams of becoming California school teachers is one of the most rewarding and important things we do,” Chancellor David Andrews said. “As a former dean of a college of education, I can say unequivocally that UMass Global remains fully committed to helping parents feel confident that their children’s teachers are well-educated and prepared to guide them toward scholastic and personal success.”

Altogether, UMass Global prepared students to receive 4,067 teaching credentials over the five-year period. This number includes the following single-subject, multiple-subject, and educational specialist credentials:

• 1,262 single-subject credentials.
• 1,536 multiple-subject credentials.
• 1,269 educational specialist credentials.

“The reason we attract so many aspiring teacher candidates is because we have a dedicated and world-class faculty who are highly regarded as scholarly innovators,” School of Education Dean Patricia Clark White said. “They are skilled, extremely knowledgeable, and have a student-centered approach in everything they do. Consequently, our students are well prepared to teach diverse students across the state and are sought after by local school districts.” 

In addition to its credentialing programs, the School of Education offers graduate-level certificate programs, master’s degrees, and the Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership. The university’s intentional focus on online learning methods helps working professionals access academic programs.

Of note, in 2021-22 alone, 603 UMass Global students who earned an academic award, credential, or authorization did so while being assigned to the Online Campus. That number amounts to nearly 30 percent of the 2,034 School of Education students who completed academic awards or received recommendations for credentials in 2021-22. The university believes the high enrollments in its online modality is a true indicator of why so many students choose UMass Global.