We seek to prepare all our students to the best of their abilities to teach secondary social studies. We do this first to provide quality teachers for Minnesota's school children, but also to make you competitive in what may be a tight job market.
You will be eligible for licensure to teach grades 5-12 (high school, junior high school, middle school) in any of the areas associated with social studies.
You will be assigned an advisor who teaches in one of the disciplines associated with social studies. We encourage you to meet with your advisor at least once each semester. There may be times that you will need to meet with the Social Studies Coordinator, Clark Johnson, in Advising "U." in AH 114.
The Social Studies Program maintains a listserv through which we send e-mail messages via the MSU mail server to you and other students majoring in social studies. If you get your e-mail through another account such as hotmail, please make sure that your MSU e-mail is being forwarded to that account. You may receive assistance from the Academic Computing Center in the basement of Wissink Hall. We also post many announcements on the social studies bulletin board outside AH 114.
Gen Ed is friendly to social studies majors. Courses in your major or in professional education will satisfy all categories except categories 1, 3, 4, and 6. They will also satisfy the cultural diversity requirement. It is recommended that you take Phys 100, 102 or 105 as part of the requirements for category 3.
Classes that you have taken previously will be assessed to determine where they fit within your major. You should meet with Clark Johnson, Social Studies Coordinator, to learn how your past coursework applies to the social studies major. Inquiries about education classes that you have taken should be directed to the chairperson of K-12 and Secondary Programs (KSP), AH 313.
You will need to take the Praxis I (PPST) prior to being admitted to Professional Education (ideally in the sophomore year.) The test is on basic writing, reading and math. You will take the Praxis II Subject Matter Test (social sciences and history) during or immediately prior to student teaching, and the Praxis II Principles of Teaching and Learning Test (secondary) when you student teach. Contact the College of Education Advising Center, AH 117, for more information.
