UNE to launch 5 programs for in-demand careers

University of New England Portland campus

Photo / Courtesy of the University of New England The University of New England, whose Portland campus is shown here, plans to launch five new programs aimed at addressing workforce shortages.

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By Renee Cordes

To meet pressing workforce needs, the University of New England said it will offer five new academic programs in fields from supply chain management to health care.

The new programs include two undergraduate business majors in supply chain management and economics, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner master’s degree program and undergraduate minors in gerontology and public history.

“Each of these new industry-focused programs touches an area urgently needed in society today,” said Gwendolyn Mahon, the school’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.

She also noted that the new programs will give students a competitive edge in evolving industries and help augment the workforce across Maine, New England and beyond.

Through the new minor in gerontology, students will learn how to better serve a growing older population by understanding the social, psychological and physiological issues in aging-related care.

And supply chain management majors will learn how to how solve supply proems and make data-driven decisions to ensure success of companies in industries such as manufacturing, health care and technology.

“I am confident that UNE students enrolled in these programs will come away fully equipped to handle the unique challenges faced today in business, health care and society, and learn to innovate and lead in each of these fields," Mason said.

The University of New England, led by President James Herbert since 2017, has campuses in Biddeford and Portland, where it recently opened a new $93 million home for Maine’s only medical school. Herbert was honored as a Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year in 2025.

With 2,114 undergraduate students enrolled in fall 2024, UNE was ranked No. 7 among Maine's largest colleges and universities in the 2025 Mainebiz Book of Lists.