Majors  >  History  >  Teacher Certification in Social Studies

The USAO Social Studies certification program is offered through the Division of Business and Social Sciences and combines liberal arts learning with teacher preparation. Its goal is to prepare individuals to become effective social studies teachers who can obtain an Oklahoma Teaching Certificate in social studies. This program is a standards-based program, based upon the standards set forth by the National Council for the Social Studies, the State Competencies, and the findings from "Effective Teacher" research. Collectively, these standards and research findings provide the knowledge base for what social studies teachers should know and do.

Individuals successfully completing this program are qualified to obtain an Oklahoma teaching certificate to teach social studies (American history, economics, geography, Oklahoma history, Sociology, U.S. government, and world history) in grades 6 through 12. Since USAO teacher certification programs are nationally certified by The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) certification in other states is simplified. It is recommended that certification be initially obtained in Oklahoma prior to seeking certification from another state.

A program checklist for a degree in history with teacher certification in social studies is provided below. Students wishing to pursue a teaching certificate in social studies should consult Dr. Kevin Crow.

Program Requirements

• Admission to the Teacher Education Program
• Satisfied the Foreign Language Competency Requirement
• Satisfied the Professional Portfolio Requirement
• Admission to the Professional Trimester
• Overall Grade Point Average 2.5
• 2.75 Grade Point Average in Certification Area
• Successful Completion of Certification Exams
• Courses listed to the right
   

Required Social Studies Courses

• HIST 1103 Oklahoma History
• HIST 1113 Ancient & Medieval Civilizations
• HIST 1123 Reformation & Modern Civilizations
• HIST 3663 Colonial & Revolutionary America to 1789
• HIST 3773 United States 1789-1877
• HIST 3883 United States 1877-1945
• HIST 3993 Contemporary United States, 1945-Present
• SOC  1123 General Sociology
• PSYC 2343 Government of the United States
• ECON 2113 Principles of Macroeconomics
• ECON 2123 Principles of Microeconomics
• GEOG 1103 Principles of Human Geography or
• GEOG 2203 Nature of Geographic Problems
• Social Studies Electives 6 Hrs.
• Students whose major is history must complete HIST 4233 History Seminar.

Note: Items on this page and page links are intended for informational purposes only. Please consult the current USAO catalog for actual class requirements for this or any other major field of study. Current USAO students should consult their advisor.