Social Studies Degrees

Social Studies Education / History (B.A.)
The social studies teacher certification program allows students to major in social studies with a concentration in history or in political science, and to complete the state of New Hampshire’s requirements for certification to teach social studies in grades 5 through 12. The certification track combines general education requirements (the college core), the education core, a social studies major with a concentration and a social studies teaching methods course.

The program of study provides the prospective social studies teacher with a broad and integrated liberal arts background, an interdisciplinary social studies major with a concentration in history or political science and the techniques, knowledge, and experience to help middle, junior and senior high school students develop to their highest potential. Social studies certification covers primary areas of history, government, economics and geography as well as secondary areas of psychology and sociology. The interdisciplinary program prepares students to teach in these areas.

B.A./B.S. Core

Social Studies Education Required Courses
EDU 200 Introduction to Education
EDU 243 Learning Theory and Instruction
EDU 293 Field Experience-Elementary
EDU 318 Methods of Teaching Secondary Education
EDU 326 Methods of Teaching Social Studies
EDU 362 Literacy in the Content Areas: 5 - 12
EDU 440 Differentiating Instruction
EDU 490 Student Teaching and Seminar
SPED 260 Children With Exceptionalities
History Concentration Major Courses
GEO 200 World Geography
HIS 109 Western Civilization I
HIS 110 Western Civilization II
HIS 114 United States History II: 1865-Present
HIS 301 World History and Culture
HIS 314 European Conquest of the New World
HIS 319 African-American History Since Civil War
or
HIS 357 African American Hist Through Civil War
HIS 321 The Ancient World of Greece and Rome
HIS 340 Historical Methods Required Courses
Allied Courses
ECO 202 Macroeconomics
ENV 219 / SCI 219 Environmental Issues
PSY 211 Human Growth and Development
SCI 212 Principles of Physical Science I

Graduation Requirements
Full-time day students must take SNHU 101 First Year Seminar: Foundations in Critical Thinking.
Continuing Education students take SNHU 100 Pro Seminar or a Free Elective.

Explanations and Recommendations
Students who complete the requirements of the Social Sciences Education major in the Department of History and Political Science and who also complete the requirements of the Secondary Education program in the School of Education will qualify for the B.A. in Social Sciences Education with eligibility for Illinois secondary certification. Students in the Social Sciences Education major who choose not to complete the requirements of the Secondary Education program may continue in the major and graduate without penalty. Such students will receive the B.A. in Social Sciences rather than Social Sciences Education and will not be eligible for Illinois secondary certification.
All HIST courses count toward fulfilling the 6 semester-hour university General Education requirement in history. All SOCSC and POLSC count toward the 9 semester-hour university General Education requirements in social sciences.
The university General Education Program contains a 6 semester-hour foreign cultures/foreign languages requirement. Some courses that fulfill the elective requirements under the “History Concentration” section of the major may count toward satisfying this requirement. Some courses taken to satisfy the 9 semester-hour “Social Sciences Disciplinary Specialty” portion of the major may also do so. Students should meet with their advisors prior to registering for updated lists of courses that qualify.
At least two of the five electives in the History Concentration and Social Sciences Disciplinary Specialty must be 300-level HIST or POLSC courses. The prerequisite for all 300-level HIST or POLSC courses is either HIST 200 or POLSC 250.
Students must choose a disciplinary concentration in either Anthropology/Sociology or Political Science. Those who choose Anthropology/Sociology will also take, in sequential order, HIST 200, a 300-level HIST course, and HIST 395 (History senior seminar). Students who choose a disciplinary concentration in Political Science have the additional option of taking POLSC 250 instead of HIST 200. Those who complete POLSC 250 may subsequently take HIST 395 or POLSC 350 (Political Science senior seminar). However, they must first complete one 300-level course in history in order to take HIST 395 or one 300-level course in political science in order to take POLSC 350. Students contemplating the disciplinary concentration in Political Science therefore should discuss their options with their advisor.

Requirements for the Social Science and Social Science Education Major

(See Item 1 under “Explanations and Recommendations” below) Departmental Requirements
(15 semester-hours count toward University General Education requirements in history and social sciences.) 51
Social Science Core 15
SOCSC 101 World Geography 3
SOCSC 105 Economics for Social Sciences 3
POLSC 101 American Government 3
POLSC 102 World Politics 3
SOCSC 203 Thinking in the Social Sciences 3
History Concentration
(Note: See item 4 under “Explanations and Recommendations” below) 21
HIST 101 World History to 1500 3
HIST 102 World History since 1500 3
HIST 103 United States History to 1877 3
HIST 104 United States History since 1877 3
HIST 230 Illinois History 3
HIST Elective (one 200- or 300-level course in non-U.S. history) 3
HIST Elective (one 200- or 300-level course in history) 3

Social Sciences Disciplinary Specialty
(Note: See item 4 under “Explanations and Recommendations” below)
At least 3 elective courses (9 semester-hours) in political science or sociology/anthropology. 9
Methods
(Note: See item 5 under “Explanations and Recommendations” below) 6
HIST 200 Introduction to the Discipline of History (prerequisite: 6 hours in History) 3
OR POLSC 250 Scope and Methods of Political Science (prerequisite: 6 hours in Political Science)
HIST 395 Senior Seminar (prerequisite: HIST 200 and one 300-level History) 3
OR POLSC 350 Senior Seminar (prerequisite: POLSC 250 and one 300-level Political Science)

Social Science Program
Social Science and Social Science Education Major

The Social Sciences Education (SOCSC) major is designed for students seeking Illinois secondary certification in the area of social sciences with a disciplinary specialization in history. It satisfies the same Illinois Content Area Standards and requirements as the History Education (HIST ED) major (see above) but provides additional strong preparation in a particular social science discipline. As such, it is ideal for students who intend to teach history in Illinois public high schools but who would like to enhance their competitiveness for positions that emphasize teaching in the social sciences as well. Social Sciences Education majors take a social sciences core and a history concentration and choose a disciplinary specialty in either political science or sociology/anthropology. Prospective students should note that while this is a large major with 51 semester-hours, 15 hours of major courses will double-count to fulfill University General Education requirements in history (6 semester-hours) and social sciences (9 semester-hours). Depending on choice of courses, an additional 6 semester-hours may fulfill University General Education requirements in foreign cultures/foreign languages. Students seeking Illinois certification through this major must also apply for admission to the School of Education minor program in secondary education. Please read the important section entitled Options for Secondary Education Students.