Social Studies Education Program

Overview

Through the Fairmont State University Social Studies Education program, students earn a B.A. in Education with teacher certification in West Virginia.  Social Studies Education majors are technically part of the Social Studies 5 - Adult Comprehensive Specialization.

Social Studies Education students will develop an interdisciplinary foundation to teach an integrated social science curriculum.

In the Social Studies Education program, students take classes like:

• United State History
• World Civilizations
• Geography
• Political Science
• Economics

Career Opportunities

Of course students who graduate with a Social Studies Education degree are prepared to teach.  But, there are additional options for those teachers to take advantage of as they elevate in their careers.  Examples include:

• Athletic director
• Guidance counselor
• Grant writer
• School librarian

Model Schedule

• Social Studies Education Program

Mission Statement

According to West Virginia Social Studies Policy 2520.4, “Social Studies [are] the heart and soul that provides students with the knowledge necessary to understand the strength and challenges of our country and the skills to make it even greater one day.” (page 6, WV Contents and Standards, Social Studies).

Fairmont State offers a BA degree in Education which leads to teaching certification in Social Studies in the State of West Virginia. The “Social Studies 5-Adult Comprehensive Specialization” is composed essentially of three parts: a Social Studies curriculum (or “content”) of 60 credit hours; a General Studies requirement of 30 hours of broadly based study across disciplines, which fulfills University General Studies Attributes; and a professional program of studies in Education totaling 39 hours which includes Education courses and clinical/field experiences. Total required hours for the program are 129. Passing scores in the PRAXIS II Social Studies content test and the Principles of Learning and Teaching Exam are necessary for graduation and West Virginia certification to teach Social Studies from grades 5 to 12.

Additionally, Fairmont offers a Master of Arts in Teaching degree in Education that provides certification in the exact manner that the undergraduate program does. That is, graduate students, at least in terms of Social Studies preparation, have to complete the exact same program."