BS in Social Studies Education

Effective fall 2022, undergraduate students interested in applying to Wheelock College will be admitted to its BS in Education & Human Development and will no longer be admitted to the BS in Social Studies Education program. Continuing students will continue to complete the degree program that they entered.

The Social Studies Education program at Boston University provides opportunities for students to prepare for careers as teachers in public and private school settings in the disciplines of history, government/civics, geography, economics, and the other social sciences, including classroom teachers and educators who work in museums, nonprofit organizations, and informal educational settings.

All BU undergraduate students, including both entering first-year and transfer students, will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, the University’s general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements can be satisfied in a number of ways, including coursework in and beyond the major as well as through cocurricular activities. Students majoring in Social Studies Education will ordinarily, through coursework taken in the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, satisfy BU Hub requirements in Philosophical, Aesthetic and Historical Interpretation; Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship; Communication; and some elements of the Intellectual Toolkit, essential for educators working with other professionals. Additional requirements may be satisfied through required Arts & Sciences coursework, and it is important that students keep Hub requirements in mind when selecting these courses. Remaining BU Hub requirements will be satisfied by selecting from a wide range of available courses outside the major or, in some cases, cocurricular experiences.

BU students specializing in Social Studies Education engage in a comprehensive course of study that includes a strong base in the arts and sciences, with coursework in the humanities, social sciences, and math and science, as well as in education, in general, and social studies education. Mentored field experiences begin with a one-day-a-week school placement in freshman year, include pre-practicum experiences in schools, and culminate with full-time practicum in a social studies classroom during senior year, affording preservice teachers the opportunity to design and implement inquiry-based, multicultural, content-rich units of study, and to assess students’ learning.

The program of study for each student is carefully designed to enable students to meet both the BU Hub capacities and the requirements that enable BU to recommend students to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for teaching licenses at the Initial Level as Teachers of History, Grades 5–12. Fulfillment of licensure requirements in the program can lead to licensure in states with which the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has reciprocity.

Qualified undergraduates in Social Studies Education may also seek dual degrees in history, political science, or other majors in the College of Arts & Sciences through the Boston University Dual Degree program.

Careful planning allows students to combine this program with coursework leading to licensure as a Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities, Grades 5–12 or English as a Second Language. They may require units beyond the minimum undergraduate degree requirements.

Learning Outcomes

• Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment: Promotes the learning and growth of all students by providing high-quality and coherent instruction, designing and administering authentic and meaningful student assessments, analyzing student performance and growth data, using this data to improve instruction, providing students with constructive feedback on an ongoing basis, and continuously refining learning objectives. (Well-Structured Lessons, Adjustments to Practice; Reflective Practice)
• Teaching All Students: Promotes the learning and growth of all students through instructional practices that establish high expectations, create a safe and effective classroom environment, and demonstrate cultural proficiency. (High Expectations; Meeting Diverse Needs; Safe Learning Environment)
• Family and Community Engagement: Promotes the learning and growth of all students through effective partnerships with families, caregivers, community members, and organizations.
• Professional Culture: Promotes the learning and growth of all students through ethical, culturally proficient, skilled, and collaborative practice. (Meeting Diverse Needs)
• Demonstrates Subject Matter Knowledge: Shows depth and breadth of knowledge needed to teach the subject matter to students as evidenced by lesson planning and implementation.

History Education (128 units)

BU Hub Requirements or Electives Outside the Major (35 units)

History/Social Studies Subject Matter Requirements (52 units)

• CAS EE 201 World Regional Geography (4 units)
• CAS HI 151 Emergence of the United States to 1865 (4 units)
• CAS HI 152 The United States Since 1865 (4 units)
• CAS HI 175 or HI 101 World History I (4 units)
• CAS HI 176 World History II (4 units)
• CAS HI 190 or 200-, 300- or higher-level courses (HI 190 preferred) (4 units)
• CAS HI 200 The Historian’s Craft (4 units)
• CAS HI 292 or EC 102 Economic History of the United States or Intro to Macroeconomics (4 units)
• CAS PO 111 Introduction to American Politics (4 units)
• Two CAS HI 200–500 (focused on Asia, Latin America, or Africa) (8 units)
• Two CAS HI 400- or 500-level colloquia (8 units)

Professional Studies (41 units)

• WED CT 375 Pre-Practicum (2 units)
• WED CT 534 A Practical Approach to Classroom Management (2 units)
• WED DS 502 Introduction to Adolescent Development (2 units)
• WED ED 110 Introduction to Education (4 units)
• WED ED 111 Educational Technology (1 unit)
• WED ED 225 or WED SO 520 Project Citizen: Promoting Civic Engagement (2 units)
• WED ED 410 Social Context of Education (2 units)
• WED ED 412 Civic Context of Education (2 units)
• WED SE 251 Special Education and Adolescents (2 units)
• WED SO 509/510 Practicum Grades 5–8 or 8–12 (8 units)
• WED SO 566 Developing Historical Literacy, 5–12 (4 units)
• WED SO 567 History Laboratory (2 units)
• WED SO 572 Curriculum and Special Methods for History and Social Science, 5–12 (4 units)
• WED TL 525 Teaching English Language Learners in Middle/High Schools (4 units)

Add-On Licensures

Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities Grades 5–12 (40 units)

• CAS MA 107 Math Reasoning: Number Systems (4 units)
• CAS MA 108 Math Reasoning: Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics (4 units)
• CAS PS 234 Psychology of Learning (4 units)
• WED LR 501 Teaching of Reading (4 units)
• WED LR 503 Reading and Writing Assessment (2 units)
• WED SE 250 Disability, Education, and Public Policy (4 units)
• WED SE 401 Cognition and Learning (4 units)
• WED SE 515 Assessment in Special Education (2 units)
• WED SE 584 Methods and Materials in Special Ed: Sec (4 units)
• WED SE 594 Practicum: Mild/Moderate Disabilities (8 units)

English as a Second Language (24 units)

• WED BI 504 Student Teaching Seminar (2 units)
  [CAS Foreign Language Requirement (completion of the fourth term of a language, which may require up to 16 units)]
• WED BI 535 Literacy Development for Bilingual Students (4 units)
• WED LR 501 Teaching of Reading (4 units)
• WED LR 503 Reading and Writing Assessment (2 units)
• WED LS 560 Language Acquisition (4 units)
• WED TL 508 Methods in Teaching English as a Second Language (4 units)
• WED TL 582 Student Teaching Practicum I: English as a Second Language 5–12 (4 units)