Residential
Social Studies Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
Student Teaching
The social studies education program will prepare you to become a teacher through a combination of coursework and supervised experiences, called clinical practice, in middle and high school classrooms.
Clinical practice can occur through a variety of ways:
- Travel outside of Indiana to Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, or even internationally
- On or around Purdue’s campus
- Partner with the Indianapolis Public School Urban Experience
Courses
Plan of Study
You will complete extensive coursework in three areas: Historical Perspectives, Economics, and Civics/Government, and introductory coursework in the remaining social studies content areas. You 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.
View Learner Specialty Concentrations
As an undergraduate student preparing for your teaching career, you will dive more deeply into understanding the unique talents and academic needs of different types of learners. You will also choose one of four Learner Specialty Concentrations for deeper exploration and preparation – Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA); English Language Learning (ELL); Special Education; or Gifted, Creative, and Talented (GCT).
Blended and Online Teaching
The Technology Integration and Blended and Online Teaching (Ti-BOT) program is an integral component of the innovative new curriculum that offers a pathway for students to earn the Blended and Online Teaching License alongside their instructional licenses upon program completion.
To view a detailed Plan of Study for the BA in Social Studies Education degree, please visit the Purdue University Course Catalog.
Admissions
Transfer Information
Purdue admits transfer students to individual majors. Transfer students must meet Purdue’s overall transfer criteria, as well as any major-specific requirements, such as a minimum GPA of 2.5.
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Licensure
Licensure Information
Students who successfully complete all requirements of a teacher preparation program that is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Indiana Department of Education are eligible for licensure in the state of Indiana.
Once licensed, a social studies education graduate is qualified to teach social studies related subjects (e.g. economics, history, government, citizenship) to secondary students in a public, private, or independent school. Purdue has interstate licensing agreements with the other 49 U.S. states, which means graduates will be able to teach in Indiana and any other state in the country.
Additional opportunities
Certificate
Collaborative Leadership
Learn useful management skills like team-building, empowerment of others, and identifying and capitalizing on human resources to reach goals in this 9-credit hour program.
Student Research
Undergraduate Research Training Program (URT)
Gain invaluable research experience through this unique program where you’ll work closely with an education faculty member and their research team.
Community
Honors College
Join a vibrant intellectual and residential community of young scholars when you apply to be part of the John Martinson Honors College.
Interested in this program?
Complete the form below to learn more.
