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Secondary Social Studies Education

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Secondary Social Studies Education

The Secondary Social Studies Teacher Education program is for students majoring in anthropology, geography, history, political science, psychology, or sociology who wish to receive secondary (9-12) teaching licensure. The program prepares students for successful teaching at the high school level.

Career Opportunities

Internships, hands-on job experience, exciting career leads and more. Get connected.

Program Contact

Dr. Wayne Journell
408 School of Education Building
awjourne@uncg.edu

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All you need to know about the application process – click here to get started.

Successful completion of this program results in a license, not a degree.

Example Careers:

High School Social Studies Teacher

Designed For

This program is designed for students who are majoring in anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, or sociology who wish to receive licensure to teach at the secondary (9-12) level.

Career Opportunities

This program prepares students to be successful social studies teachers at the high school level. As part of this preparation, students spend 50 hours in internships during their junior year (25 hours per semester), another 50 hours during the fall semester of their senior year, and engage in full-time student teaching during the spring semester of their senior year.

Research Interests

Students will engage in an action research project of their own teaching in accordance with Evidence 5 of the North Carolina licensure portfolio.

Program of Study

Total hours: 45 or 60, depending on content area

Please note that students must make a C or better (C- does not count) in all courses related to licensure (content and pedagogical) and that all courses must be passed with a C or better before beginning student teaching.

Content

All secondary social studies licensure students must complete the following 18 credit hours:

  • ECO 101, Introduction to Economics (3hr)
  • HIS 308, Navigating World History (3hr)
  • HIS 316, Interpreting American History (3hr)
  • A 300-level HIS Elective (3hr)
  • HIS 430, Historical Methods for Social Studies Teachers (3hr, prereq: HIS 308, HIS 316, 300-level HIS elective, or permission of instructor)
  • HIS 440, Principles and Practices of Teaching History (3hr, prereq: HIS 308, HIS 316, 300-level HIS elective, or permission of instructor)

History majors must complete an additional 15 hours of social science electives. They should choose five (5) courses in at least three (3) different disciplines:

  • Anthropology: ATY 213, 258, 315, 325, 330, 333, or 335
  • Geography: GEO 104, 105, 106/106L, 114, 306, 344, 491, 560
  • Political Science: PSC 100, 260, or 290
  • Psychology: PSY 121, 230, 240, 250, 260, 280, or 385
  • Sociology: SOC 101, 202, 323, 335, 344, 362, 365, 420

Pedagogy

All social studies licensure students must take the following courses in this sequence (unless otherwise noted).

Fall Junior Year

  • TED 445, Human Diversity, Teaching, and Learning (3hrs, plus 25 hour internship)
  • TED 401, Child and Adolescent Development and Learning (1hr; online)

Spring Junior Year

  • TED 403, Teaching English Learners with Diverse Abilities (1hr; online)
  • SES 401, Understanding and Teaching Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings (1hr; online, plus a 25 hour internship in conjunction with TED 403)
  • ERM 405, Measurement and Assessment in Teaching (3hr)

Fall Senior Year

  • TED 553, Teaching Practices and Curriculum in Social Studies (3hrs, plus a 50 hour internship that will turn into student teaching placement)
  • TED 535, Literacy in the Content Area (3hr; can be taken anytime before student teaching)

Spring Senior Year

  • TED 465, Student Teaching and Seminar (12hr; full time student teaching; no other courses should be taken with TED 465)

Additional Courses

It is strongly recommended that students take LIS120 to satisfy the technology competency portion of their state licensure portfolio.

Minimum Program Requirements

  • Cumulative GPA of a 3.0;
  • Minimum passing scores on Praxis I (or ACT/SAT equivalents)—see School of Education Office of Student Services for minimum passing scores. These scores are required by the time students take their content-area methods course Fall of their senior year.
  • Completion of state requirements for licensure, including the state licensure portfolio (it is also strongly recommended that students pass Praxis II before graduation)