A SST-HIS dual major combines a full History major with your Social Studies Teaching certification requirements. Understanding the requirements for your degree can sometimes be difficult. The following is meant to help you navigate the dual major. Some of your courses will fulfill multiple requirements in General Education, History, or Social Studies Teaching.
General Education coursework not met by other requirements
All SUNY students need to take certain General Education courses. Some of these are met by courses you will be taking for History or Social Studies. The following GE categories, however, require extra attention. These are:
- GE Mathematics: 3 credits
- GE Natural Sciences with Lab: 4 credits
- GE The Arts: 3 credits
- GE Written Communication: 6 credits (CPN 100 and CPN 101)
- GE World Language: up to 12 credits
NOTE: DegreeWorks can be confusing here. For GE requirements, you only need 3 credits of Foreign Language. BUT, your HIS-SST B.A. degree requires a foreign language through the 202 level. If you arrive with previous language credits or proficiency, you might begin at the 201 level and thus only need 6 credits of language. But, if you need to start at the 101 level, it will be 12 credits, meaning four semesters from 101 through the 102, 201, and 202 levels.)
History Major coursework not met by other requirements
The following courses are needed for your History content major. NOTE that introductory courses are required both for History and for Social Studies. NOTE also that you need to earn a C- or higher in introductory courses in order for those courses to count toward your SST requirements.
Introductory History coursework
- HIS 100 or HIS 110: 3 credits (C- or higher required)
- HIS 101 or HIS 111: 3 credits (C- or higher required)
- HIS 200: 3 credits (C- or higher required)
- HIS 201: 3 credits (C- or higher required)
Research and Methods coursework
- HIS 280: 3 credits
- HIS 290: 3 credits
- HIS 490: 3 credits
Upper Division coursework
Upper division work is divided into four different geographical categories to prepare you for teaching both United States and World history classes.
- Africa/Asia/Latin America/Middle East: 3 credits
- Europe: 3 credits
- Global/Transnational: 3 credits
- United States: 3 credits
- Elective in an upper-division category: 3 credits
- Elective in an upper-division category: 3 credits
(NOTE: The two electives need to be from two different geographical categories)
Experiential Learning requirement
Met by your student teaching experience. No need to think about this unless you drop SST to only major in HIS.
Social Studies Teaching Major coursework not met by other requirements
The following courses prepare you for social studies teaching, focusing on content knowledge in other social studies disciplines and on methods of teaching adolescents. NOTE that core Social Studies content classes require a C or higher to count toward your degree and certification.
Introduction to Disciplines of the Social Studies
NOTE: Introductory History courses met through your History major requirements.
- ECO 105 or ECO 110: 3 credits (C or higher required)
- GRY 120 or GRY 125: 3 credits (C or higher required)
- GRY 370: 3 credits
- POL 100: 3 credits (C or higher required)
- PSY 101: 3 credits:
Topics in Education
- HLH 199: 2 credits
- PSY 232: 3 credits (C or higher required)
- ESL 406: 3 credits
Licensure Workshops
NOTE: Must be completed before student teaching. Your last opportunity would be during the Fall semester before student teaching.
- CAR 501
- DASA 500
- SAV 500
Social Studies Teaching professional sequence, Year 1
Once you have completed enough of the above coursework, you are ready to join the Professional Sequence. During this sequence, you will be in a cohort that will be training together to teach historical thinking and literacy to secondary students. You will also complete the 100 hours of field experience in secondary classrooms required before your student teaching semester. You will also be taking other classes to finish out the remaining requirements for GE, History, or SST.
NOTE: Student teaching for SST always happens in a Spring semester. The Professional Sequence courses are only offered in particular semesters and must be taken in this order. You have to meet certain eligibility requirements to begin the sequence and to continue in it. Different eligibility checkpoints are noted below. If you are not eligible to begin or continue the sequence, you would have to wait until the following year to begin or continue the sequence if you become eligible. If you do not want to delay graduation in such a situation, other pathways to certification exist. The SST Coordinator can talk to you about these.
Fall Semester, Year 1
- AED 310: 3 credits
- AED 315: 3 credits
- Field experiences: 25 hours
Eligibility Requirements
- 2.5 cumulative GPA
- Professional dispositions
Spring Semester, Year 1
- AED 300: 1 credit
- HIS 399: 2 credits
- SPE 275: 3 credits
- Field experiences: 35 hours
Eligibility Requirements
- 2.5 cumulative GPA
- 2.5 History content GPA
- 57 total credit hours completed
- 18 history credit hours completed
- Completed coursework:
- AED 315
- HIS 100 or 110
- HIS 101 or 111
- HIS 200
- HIS 201
- Professional dispositions
Social Studies Teaching Professional Sequence, Year 2
Fall Semester, Year 2
- AED 301: 6 credits (B- or higher required)
- Field experiences: 40 hours (completed in the prior May/June)
Eligibility Requirements
- Completed coursework: AED 300
- Professional dispositions
Spring Semester, Year 2 (Student Teaching)
- AED 400: 6 credits
- AED 401: 6 credits
- AED 402: 1 credit
NOTE: Full-time student teaching (no other coursework allowed and participation in a team sport or major activity discouraged with some exceptions).
Eligibility Requirements
- 2.5 cumulative GPA
- 2.7 History content GPA
- 90 total credit hours completed
- 24 history credit hours completed
- Completed coursework:
- AED 301 (B- or higher required)
- Licensure Workshops (see above)
- ECO 105 or 110 (C or higher required)
- GRY 120 or 125 (C or higher required)
- POL 100 (C or higher required)
- PSY 232 (C or higher required)
- No INCOMPLETE courses
- Able to graduate by the December following student teaching. Some courses can be taken after student teaching. NOTE however the above courses that cannot be delayed until after student teaching.
- Professional dispositions
Total Credit Hours Requirement
126 Total Credit Hours Required for Graduation
If you are nearing the end of the two year Professional Sequence, pay attention to your total credits! You need 126 total credit hours for graduation. This may required elective courses beyond required General Education, History, or social Studies Teaching coursework. Fairly often, SST students find themselves on track to only have 125 credits at the end of student teaching. To avoid that situation, you might need to find a 1 credit elective course sometime before the student teaching semester.