Skip to main content

Search NYU Steinhardt

The 128-credit BS in Teaching Social Studies, Grades 7-12 (Initial Certification) program is designed to equip teachers with the skills to ignite genuine student interest in history and the social sciences. Through its curriculum, aspiring teachers will delve into educational methods that complement their solid foundation in the social sciences and humanities. They will also learn how to seamlessly incorporate history, literature, and the arts into their teaching and engage students in immersive, inquiry-based history workshops.

Core Course Sequence

This program's comprehensive coursework covers a wide range of areas, including the NYU CORE, liberal arts, humanities, and social sciences studies, foundational classes in education and education policy, pedagogical content in history, and social studies education. The curriculum ensures that graduates enter teaching with a strong grasp of the special education and educational policy issues that affect schooling. The program of study culminates in two semesters of teaching in a public school middle and high school setting, which provides approaches, theories, and practical strategies for teaching middle and high school students. 

Program Requirements

Course Title Credits
Liberal Arts Requirements
Foreign Language8
Expository Writing
EXPOS-UA 1Writing as Inquiry4
ACE-UE 110Advanced College Essay: Educ & The Professions4
Foundations of Contemporary Culture
Texts and Ideas4
Cultures and Contexts4
Foundations of Scientific Inquiry
Physical/Life Sciences (two 4-credit courses, for a total of 8 credits)8
Select one of the following:4
APSTA-UE 10
Statistical Mysteries and How to Solve Them
APSTA-UE 1085
Basic Statistics I
APSTA-UE 21
Cracking the Code
Mathematics by advisement
Other Liberal Arts Requirements
HSED-UE 1005Introduction to US Education4
Additional Requirements
SAHS-UE 1New Student Seminar0
Writing Proficiency Examination
Specialization Requirements
Content Core
SOCED-UE 1073Key Debates in U.S. History4
SOCED-UE 1800Key Debates in Global History4
Select one of the following:4
POL-UA 500
Comparative Politics
Politics Course (by advisement)
ECON-UA 1Introduction to Macroeconomics (Politics Course (by advisement))4
Area of Specialization: History Courses
HIST-UA 9XXHistory Workshop4
HIST-UA XXXXIntroductory or Advanced History course by advisement (Africa, Asia, Latin America & Middle East)4
HIST-UA XXXXIntroductory or Advanced History course by advisement (Eastern / Western Europe)4
HIST-UA 1XXXAdvanced History class (Eastern / Western Europe & Russia)4
HIST-UA 4XXXAdvanced Seminar History course by advisement4
Common Pedagogical Core
Select one of the following:4
HSED-UE 610
Educ/American Dream: Historical Perspectives
TCHL-UE 41
American Dilemmas: Race, Inequality, and the Unfulfilled
SOED-UE 1015
Educ as Soc Institution
TCHL-UE 1Inquiries Into Teaching & Learning I4
TCHL-UE 5Field Observ in Schools and Other Educ Settings0
TCHL-UE 1030Lang Acquis and Literacy Educ/Multi & Multi Cntxt4
TCHL-UE 1999Drug, Alcohol Ed/Child Abuse ID/School Violence/DASA:1
APSY-UE 20Human Development I2
APSY-UE 23Human Development II: Early Adolescents and Adolescents2
SPCED-UE 1005Teach Stu With Disabili in General Ed Class Rm4
Specialized Pedagogical Core
SOCED-UE 1039Methods/Teaching Social Studies I3
SOCED-UE 1135Trnds/Prob Sec Soc St Ed4
SOCED-UE 1911Student Teaching in Social Studies I4
SOCED-UE 1922Student Teaching in Social Studies II4
Unrestricted Electives16
Total Credits128

Note: History Seminars must fall into the following areas: 1 U.S., 1 European, and 1 non-West. One of these must be pre-1800. If a student is pursuing the three-course sequence in one area, then the two unrelated History classes (History 101 and Advanced History class) must be taken in each of the other two areas.

Sample Plan of Study

Plan of Study Grid
1st Semester/TermCredits
SAHS-UE 1 New Student Seminar 0
EXPOS-UA 1
or EXPOS-UA 4
Writing as Inquiry
or International Writing Workshop I
4
HSED-UE 1005 Introduction to US Education 4
HSED-UE 1033 Global Culture Wars 4
Physical/Life Science 4
 Credits16
2nd Semester/Term
TCHL-UE 5 Field Observ in Schools and Other Educ Settings 0
ACE-UE 110 Advanced College Essay: Educ & The Professions 4
Quantitative Reasoning 4
Texts and Ideas 4
Physical/Life Science 4
 Credits16
3rd Semester/Term
HIST-UA WORKSHOP 4
POL-UA 500
or POL-UA 300
Comparative Politics
or Power & Politics in America
4
Foreign Language 4
TCHL-UE 1 Inquiries Into Teaching & Learning I 4
 Credits16
4th Semester/Term
APSY-UE 20 Human Development I 2
APSY-UE 23 Human Development II: Early Adolescents and Adolescents 2
ECON-UA 1 Introduction to Macroeconomics 4
Foreign Language 4
HIST-UA Intro or Advanced Non-Western History 4
 Credits16
5th Semester/Term
SOED-UE 1015
or HSED-UE 610
Educ as Soc Institution
or Educ/American Dream: Historical Perspectives
4
TCHL-UE 1030 Lang Acquis and Literacy Educ/Multi & Multi Cntxt 4
HIST-UA Intro or Advanced European History 4
Unrestricted Electives 4
 Credits16
6th Semester/Term
HIST-UA Advanced Seminar History 4
HIST-UA Advanced European History 4
SOCED-UE 1135 Trnds/Prob Sec Soc St Ed 4
Unrestricted Electives 4
 Credits16
7th Semester/Term
SOCED-UE 1039 Methods/Teaching Social Studies I 3
SOCED-UE 1800 Key Debates in Global History 4
SOCED-UE 1911 Student Teaching in Social Studies I 4
TCHL-UE 1999 Drug, Alcohol Ed/Child Abuse ID/School Violence/DASA: 1
Unrestricted Electives 4
 Credits16
8th Semester/Term
SOCED-UE 1073 Key Debates in U.S. History 4
SOCED-UE 1922 Student Teaching in Social Studies II 4
SPCED-UE 1005 Teach Stu With Disabili in General Ed Class Rm 4
Unrestricted Electives 4
 Credits16
 Total Credits128