The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth will begin accepting students for a new Ph.D. program in STEM Education this fall.

STEM education includes science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The UMass Dartmouth program aims to give students the skills to improve STEM education both as teachers and as educational policy creators.

“Improving STEM education is a matter of regional and national economic importance, but it is also a national security imperative as the United States faces a myriad of global science and technology challenges,” said UMass Dartmouth Provost and Chief Academic Officer Mohammad Karim. “Our world-class faculty in this field are poised to teach, mentor and inspire a new generation of STEM education innovators.”

The program has been approved by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, and will include work with the University’s Kaput Center for Research and Innovation in STEM Education.