Social Studies Adolescence Education Bachelor of Arts degree

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Studies Adolescence Education (leading to initial certification)

Responsibility for the B.A. in Social Studies Adolescence Education is shared by the College of Education and the Department of History. Students are encouraged to double major in History (or another field) in order to enhance their understanding of the discipline and their future employment opportunities. Requirements beyond those of the College Core Curriculum include:

I. Professional Education Courses (39 credit hours required)

II. Social Studies Course Work (51 credit hours required)

Group I: Basic Knowledge (all courses required, 21 credit hours)

Group II: Methodologies (10 credit hours)

Group III: Cultures and Civilizations (9 credit hours)

A. American Minorities

Any one of the following:

Note: Students seeking a double major in Social Studies and History should take a history course in this category.

B. World Regional Civilizations

Two 200-level world regional civilization courses in Asian, African, Atlantic World, Latin American, or Middle Eastern history. These courses must cover different regions.

Group IV: Building Knowledge, Connections, and Arguments (15 credit hours)

Five courses at the 300-level or above: four History courses, including two with focus on U.S. History (one pre-1877, one post-1877); one focusing on European History; and one on global/non-western history; one course in a social studies field other than History (ANTH, ECON, POLI, PSY, SOC).

Foreign Language (0-6 credit hours)

Candidates in all education programs are required to demonstrate competence in a foreign language. This requirement must be satisfied in any one of the following ways:

• Score of 85 percent or higher on New York State Regents Exam (or local equivalent). Requirement is fulfilled.
• Scores of 65 percent - 84 percent on High School N.Y.S. Regents Exam (or local equivalent): Student needs to take an Elementary I level course or an Elementary II level course of a language or equivalent course(s) or successfully complete an equivalent SUNY Fredonia proficiency exam.
• Scores below 65 percent on High School N.Y.S. Regents Exam (or local equivalent) or if student did not take a N.Y.S. Regents or local Exam: Student needs to take an Elementary I level course and an Elementary II level course of the same language or equivalent.

Other Requirements: All majors must fulfill all testing and assessment requirements set by the Department of History. At present, these include gated assessment requirements. Grades must be C+ or better in all required courses in the Social Studies program. The Written Communication requirement under the General Education Program must be passed with a C or better. Students are encouraged to complete one course in statistics as part of the General Education Program. Enrolled students and transfer students wishing to declare the Social Studies Adolescence Education major must have an overall GPA of 2.75. Social Studies Adolescence Education majors must maintain a 2.75 GPA in order to remain in the program. The grade point requirements for entering the professional year are: overall GPA of 2.75, in Professional Education courses 2.75, and in the Social Studies content component 2.75. Acceptance into the senior professional year is also contingent upon a personal interview and review by the Social Studies screening committee composed of Department of History faculty and area social studies teachers. A copy of the criteria used by the screening committee may be obtained in the history department. Acceptance into student teaching also requires approval by the Dean of the College of Education.

SSED 419 can be taken only in the fall semester of the senior year. EDU 430 requires the entire spring semester as a full course load.

Requirements for Transfer Credit: Students transferring credits to Fredonia should normally expect no more than 27 credit hours earned elsewhere to apply to the Social Studies course requirements. (Special consideration can be given to students who have earned a B.A. degree in one of the social sciences.) As a rule, the department will not accept as equivalents to advanced social studies courses credits earned at two-year colleges. HIST 201 must be completed at Fredonia. All requirements for SSED 419 and EDU 430 must be completed under Fredonia supervision. To be applied to the requirements of the Social Studies Adolescence Education program, transferred courses must have been completed with a grade of C+ or better.

Additional Requirements for Initial Certification: The New York State Education Department also requires fingerprinting and a background check for all applicants for initial certification. In addition, students seeking initial certification must pass the following New York State Teacher Certification Examinations: Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST), Secondary Assessment of Teaching Skills – Written (ATS-W), and the Social Studies Content Specialty Test (CST). Students are strongly advised to pursue a second major in History or one of the other social science disciplines (economics, political science, or sociology/anthropology) and may count appropriate courses taken for the Social Studies Adolescence Education major and the General Education Program requirements towards such a second major.

For certification information, please consult the Education section of the catalog.