Nov 21, 2024

2024-2025 University Catalog

Social Studies Education, BA

Location(s): West Lafayette

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About the Program

Social Studies Education (SSED) is a comprehensive teacher preparation program aligned with state and national standards to prepare individuals to teach a variety of social studies subjects at the secondary (grades 5-12) level.

Faculty have designed SSED to prepare graduates who are able to develop informed and active participants in a diverse and democratic society. To achieve this goal, SSED reflects both best practices in teacher education and an emphasis on essential content knowledge.

Students complete extensive coursework in three areas: Historical Perspectives, Economics, and Government/Citizenship, and introductory coursework in the remaining social studies content areas. Students may also choose to complete additional concentrations in Psychology and/or Sociology. Professional education courses are taken throughout the program with field experiences built in each semester of the program.

This program meets state and national licensure standards and is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the State of Indiana, State Board of Education. See Teacher Licensure Information in the plan below.

The Social Studies Education Plan of Study outlines the required courses to complete the degree for licensure. For more information about the degree program, visit the COE Office of Advising and Recruiting. Indiana Licensure information - Each student must meet all degree, program, and licensure requirements prior to being recommended for licensure.

Social Studies Education Major Change (CODO) Requirements

Social Studies Education, BA - Purdue University College of Education

Purdue University-Main Campus | College Scorecard (ed.gov)

Degree Requirements

129 Credits Required

Departmental/Program Major Courses (122-126 credits)

All required Professional Education, and Learner Specialty Pathway courses are calculated into the 2.5 Overall Teacher Education GPA requirement with no grade lower than a ”C”.

Major: Required Education Courses (44 credits)

EDCI 20002 - Special Populations Seminar: English Language Learners And Students With Gifts And Talents Credits: 1.00
EDCI 20500 - Exploring Teaching As A Career Credits: 2.00 to 3.00 ♦ (2 credits required; satisfies WC for core)
EDCI 21610 - Teaching History: Standards And Strategies Credits: 1.00
EDCI 21710 - Teaching Geography: Standards And Strategies Credits: 1.00
EDCI 21810 - Teaching Civics And Government: Standards And Strategies Credits: 1.00
EDCI 21910 - Teaching For Economic Literacy: Developing An Economic Way Of Thinking Credits: 1.00
EDCI 27000 - Introduction To Educational Technology And Computing Credits: 1.00 to 3.00 (1 credit required; satisfies IL for core)
EDCI 28500 - Multiculturalism And Education Credits: 2.00 to 3.00 ♦ (2 credits required; satisfies BSS for core)
EDCI 30900 - Reading In Middle And Secondary Schools: Methods And Problems Credits: 1.00 to 3.00 (1 credit required)
EDCI 35000 - Community Issues & Applications For Educators Credits: 1.00 to 3.00 (1 credit required)
EDCI 37001 - Teaching And Learning English As A New Language Credits: 2.00 or 3.00 (2 credits required)
EDCI 42300 - The Teaching Of Social Studies In Secondary Schools Credits: 3.00
EDCI 43300 - Advanced Social Studies Methods Credits: 2.00
EDCI 49800 - Supervised Teaching Credits: 8.00 to 16.00 (12 credits required; satisfies OC for core)
EDPS 20001 - Special Populations Seminar: Focus On Students With Disabilities And Differentiation Approaches Credits: 1.00
EDPS 23500 - Learning And Motivation Credits: 2.00 or 3.00 (2 credits required)
EDPS 24000 - Children With Gifts, Creativity, And Talents Credits: 1.00
EDPS 24800 - Differentiating Curriculum And Instruction Credits: 1.00
EDPS 26501 - The Inclusive Classroom Credits: 2.00
EDPS 32700 - Classroom Assessment Credits: 1.00 to 3.00 (1 credit required)
EDPS 36201 - Positive Behavioral Supports Credits: 2.00 or 3.00 (2 credits required)
EDPS 43010 - Secondary Creating And Managing Learning Environments Credits: 1.00 to 3.00 (2 credits required)
EDST 20010 - Educational Policies And Laws Credits: 1.00 to 3.00 (1 credit required)

Required Learner Specialty Pathway Concentration (9 credits)

Must choose one of the following Specialty Pathway Concentrations.

Major: Social Studies Content (63 credits)

Historical Perspectives (21 Credits)

(fulfills HUM for core)

HIST 10400 - Introduction To The Modern World Credits: 3.00
HIST 10500 - Survey Of Global History Credits: 3.00
HIST 15100 - American History To 1877 Credits: 3.00
HIST 15200 - United States Since 1877 Credits: 3.00

Historical Perspectives Selectives (9 credits)

Any HIST course, 30000-level or above - Credit Hours: 3.00
Any HIST course, 30000-level or above - Credit Hours: 3.00
Any HIST course, 30000-level or above - Credit Hours: 3.00

Civics and Government (15 credits)

POL 10100 - American Government And Politics Credits: 3.00 (meets Civics Literacy requirement)
POL 37200 - Indiana Government And Politics Credits: 3.00

Civics and Government Selectives (9 credits)

Any POL course, 30000-level or above - Credit Hours: 3.00
Any POL course, 30000-level or above - Credit Hours: 3.00
Any POL course, 30000-level or above - Credit Hours: 3.00

Economics (12 credits)

ECON 25100 - Microeconomics Credits: 3.00
ECON 25200 - Macroeconomics Credits: 3.00
AGEC 21700 - Economics Credits: 3.00 or
ECON 21000 - Principles Of Economics Credits: 3.00

Economics Selective (3 credits)

Any ECON course, 30000-level or above - Credit Hours: 3.00

Diversified (15 credits)

ANTH 10000 - Being Human: Introduction To Anthropology Credits: 3.00
EAPS 12000 - Introduction To Geography Credits: 3.00 (satisfies STS for core)
EAPS 10500 - The Planets Credits: 3.00 (satisfies SCI for core) or
EAPS 10900 - The Dynamic Earth Credits: 3.00 or
EAPS 11100 - Physical Geology Credits: 3.00 (satisfies SCI for core) or
EAPS 11200 - Earth Through Time Credits: 3.00 (satisfies SCI for core) or
EAPS 11600 - Earthquakes And Volcanoes Credits: 3.00 (satisfies SCI for core) or
EAPS 13800 - Thunderstorms And Tornadoes Credits: 3.00 (satisfies SCI for core)

Psychological Sciences Selective (3 credits)

Any PSY course, 10000-level or higher - Credit Hours: 3.00

Sociology Selective (3 credits)

Any SOC course, 10000-level or higher - Credit Hours: 3.00

Optional Concentration for Social Studies Education

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (9-10 credits)

ENGL 10600 - First Year Composition With Conferences Credits: 4.00 (satisfies WC and IL for core) or
ENGL 10800 - First Year Composition Credits: 3.00 (satisfies WC and IL for core)
Quantitative Reasoning, any UCC-approved course - Credit Hours: 3.00
Science, any UCC-approved course (except EAPS courses in Diversified area above) - Credit Hours: 3.00

Electives (3-7 credits)

Course Requirements and Notes

^ At least 6 hours of each of these individual areas must be at the 30000-level or above: Ancient/Medieval/Modern selective, Government and Citizenship Area selectives, Economics/Government Concentration selectives, Sociology optional concentration, Psychology optional concentration.

GPA Requirements

2.5 Overall GPA is required for the Teacher Education Program.

Teacher Licensure Information

Successful completion of the Purdue University Social Studies Education Program, Social Studies Education, BA, and the State of Indiana licensure requirements results in an Indiana initial instructional License in Historical Perspectives (5-12), Government and Citizenship (5-12), Economics (5-12), and Blended and Online Teaching (5-12). Contact the Office of Teacher Education and Licensure for additional information regarding Teacher Education and licensure requirements.

Office of Teacher Education and Licensure - Purdue University College of Education

Teacher Education Program (TEP) Requirements and Milestones - Purdue University - Modern Campus Catalog™

2.5 Overall GPA is required for the Teacher Education Program.

Students must successfully progress through Milestone A to enroll in any Professional Education **Restricted Methods course.
Successful completion of all Major, Professional Education (including all Foundations Courses with linked Foundations Portfolio Common Assessments and **Restricted Methods Courses), Learner Specialty Concentration/Pathway, and degree courses are required prior to Milestone C. Program limitations restrict additional courses to be taken simultaneously with or following student teaching without advance authorization.
Successful completion of all Foundations Portfolio Common Assessments are required prior to Milestone D.
Blended and online Teaching licensure requirements are embedded into coursework for all Undergraduate Licensure Programs.
Beginning July 1, 2025 - According to the Indiana State Board of Education, students seeking an Initial Indiana License in a content area involving literacy instruction, including special education, must obtain an early literacy endorsement, Science of Reading (P-5), as required under IC 20-28-5-19.7.

College of Education Pass/No Pass Option Policy

Education majors (which includes the total credit hour requirement to fulfill General Education: Educational Studies and General Education: Curriculum & Instruction) are not eligible to receive P/NP for required courses on your plan of study. Only electives and courses at the 500+ level can have a grade mode change.

Spring 2020 was the only exception approved for the entire campus.

University Requirements

University Core Requirements

For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.

Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
Information Literacy (IL)
Oral Communication (OC)
Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
Science #1 (SCI)
Science #2 (SCI)
Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
Written Communication (WC)

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test. The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused. There are three different pathways:

Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
Approved course pathway - Complete one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.

More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.

Upper Level Requirement

Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample 4-Year Plan

Fall 1st Year

EDCI 20500 - Exploring Teaching As A Career Credits: 2.00 to 3.00 ♦
EDST 20010 - Educational Policies And Laws Credits: 1.00 to 3.00
HIST 15100 - American History To 1877 Credits: 3.00
POL 10100 - American Government And Politics Credits: 3.00
ENGL 10600 - First Year Composition With Conferences Credits: 4.00 or
ENGL 10800 - First Year Composition Credits: 3.00
Quantitative Reasoning - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-16 Credits

Spring 1st Year

EDCI 21610 - Teaching History: Standards And Strategies Credits: 1.00
EDCI 28500 - Multiculturalism And Education Credits: 2.00 to 3.00 ♦
EDCI 35000 - Community Issues & Applications For Educators Credits: 1.00 to 3.00
HIST 10400 - Introduction To The Modern World Credits: 3.00
HIST 15200 - United States Since 1877 Credits: 3.00
POL 37200 - Indiana Government And Politics Credits: 3.00
AGEC 21700 - Economics Credits: 3.00 or
ECON 21000 - Principles Of Economics Credits: 3.00

16 Credits

Fall 2nd Year

ECON 25100 - Microeconomics Credits: 3.00
EDCI 20002 - Special Populations Seminar: English Language Learners And Students With Gifts And Talents Credits: 1.00
EDCI 21910 - Teaching For Economic Literacy: Developing An Economic Way Of Thinking Credits: 1.00
EDCI 37001 - Teaching And Learning English As A New Language Credits: 2.00 or 3.00
EDPS 24000 - Children With Gifts, Creativity, And Talents Credits: 1.00
EDPS 36201 - Positive Behavioral Supports Credits: 2.00 or 3.00
Psychological Sciences Selective - Credit Horus: 3.00
Historical Perspectives Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00

16 Credits

Spring 2nd Year

EAPS 12000 - Introduction To Geography Credits: 3.00
EDCI 21810 - Teaching Civics And Government: Standards And Strategies Credits: 1.00
EDPS 20001 - Special Populations Seminar: Focus On Students With Disabilities And Differentiation Approaches Credits: 1.00
EDPS 23500 - Learning And Motivation Credits: 2.00 or 3.00
EDPS 24800 - Differentiating Curriculum And Instruction Credits: 1.00
EDPS 26501 - The Inclusive Classroom Credits: 2.00
HIST 10500 - Survey Of Global History Credits: 3.00
Civics and Government Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00

16 Credits

Fall 3rd Year

ECON 25200 - Macroeconomics Credits: 3.00
EDCI 21710 - Teaching Geography: Standards And Strategies Credits: 1.00
EDCI 27000 - Introduction To Educational Technology And Computing Credits: 1.00 to 3.00
EDCI 30900 - Reading In Middle And Secondary Schools: Methods And Problems Credits: 1.00 to 3.00
EAPS 10500 - The Planets Credits: 3.00 or
EAPS 10900 - The Dynamic Earth Credits: 3.00 or
EAPS 11100 - Physical Geology Credits: 3.00 or
EAPS 11200 - Earth Through Time Credits: 3.00 or
EAPS 11600 - Earthquakes And Volcanoes Credits: 3.00 or
EAPS 13800 - Thunderstorms And Tornadoes Credits: 3.00
Civics and Government Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Learner Pathway Concentration Course - Credit Hours: 3.00
Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

18 Credits

Spring 3rd Year

EDCI 42300 - The Teaching Of Social Studies In Secondary Schools Credits: 3.00
Civics and Government Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Economics Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Historical Perspectives Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Science - Credit Hours: 3.00
Learner Pathway Concentration Course - Credit Hours: 3.00

18 Credits

Fall 4th Year

ANTH 10000 - Being Human: Introduction To Anthropology Credits: 3.00
EDCI 43300 - Advanced Social Studies Methods Credits: 2.00
EDPS 32700 - Classroom Assessment Credits: 1.00 to 3.00
EDPS 43010 - Secondary Creating And Managing Learning Environments Credits: 1.00 to 3.00
Learner Pathway Concentration Course or Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Historical Perspectives Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Sociology Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00

17 Credits

Spring 4th Year

EDCI 49800 - Supervised Teaching Credits: 8.00 to 16.00

12 Credits

Pre-Requisite Information

For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

World Language Courses

World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course

The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer

The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.