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."
