Please note: we have temporarily suspended applications for the BA and BA/MA degree programs discussed below. We will update this page with any further information as soon as this situation changes.
Nationwide, about fifteen per cent of history majors go on to careers as teachers. These joint programs, offered in cooperation with Catholic University’s Department of Education, allow students to combine the history major with professional preparation for teaching Social Studies at middle-school or high-school level.
Dedicating one’s professional life to the education of adolescents is a special vocation. At the stage in their lives when young people ask questions about identity and purpose, the subjects comprising Social Studies offer a rich variety of insights and ways of thinking. The teaching profession also allows its practitioners to continue their engagement with history and allied disciplines, helping to preserve the passion and sense of discovery inherent in teaching excellence.
The B.A. in history and secondary education provides coursework needed for state licensure in secondary Social Studies education, all within the standard four years required for the undergraduate degree.
The B.A./M.A. program offers students the opportunity to earn both a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in secondary education on an accelerated basis. Students accepted into the program may count up to four courses (12 credit hours) toward both the B.A. and the M.A., thereby reducing the number of courses ordinarily required for the two degrees if pursued separately, and making it possible to earn both degrees in five academic years. The B.A./M.A. option also provides the coursework required to meet the content standards required for state licensure.
Bachelor of Arts in History and Secondary Education (B.A.)
Students in this program complete all the requirements of the B.A. in history. They also take courses in politics, anthropology, geography, and economics that fulfill the requirements for licensure. Beginning in the sophomore year, they take five pedagogical courses in the Department of Education, and spend one semester (usually the spring semester of senior year) as student teachers. Field experiences throughout the program introduce them to a variety of school settings (Catholic, public, charter, and private) and grade levels.
Successful completion of the program requires careful planning. Any student interested in the program should meet with the Department of History’s Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS), Dr. Árpád von Klimó, and also the Department of Education’s Coordinator of the Secondary Education Program, Dr. Melissa Mitchell, as early as possible during undergraduate study in order to discuss and plan. They serve as co-advisers for the program.
Formal acceptance into the History and Secondary Education major is at the end of sophomore year. Acceptance requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, and also a minimum GPA of 3.0 in history and education courses. In addition, students need to pass the Praxis CORE test or have obtained the necessary minimum scores on equivalent, accepted tests, such as SAT or ACT (current minimum scores can be found at https://osse.dc.gov/node/1189301), demonstrate dispositions compatible to successful teaching, and receive positive recommendations from faculty in the Departments of Education and History. Students who do not fulfill all requirements by the end of the sophomore year but who otherwise demonstrate high potential for a successful teaching career may be admitted provisionally and granted one additional semester to fulfill the requirements.
Curriculum and Suggested Sequence of Courses
Bachelor of Arts in History and Master of Arts in Secondary Education (B.A./M.A.)
Students in this program complete all the requirements of the B.A. in history. They also take courses in politics, anthropology, geography, and economics that fulfill the requirements for licensure. In addition, they take two undergraduate courses in the Department of Education, and in their junior and senior years take four graduate-level courses (one in history and three in education). These four courses (12 credit hours) count toward both the B.A. and the M.A., thereby reducing the number of courses ordinarily required for the two degrees if pursued separately, and making it possible to earn both degrees in five academic years (including one summer of graduate coursework before the fifth year).
In the fall of the fifth year of study, students in this program take five further graduate courses in the Department of Education, and in the spring of the fifth year receive field placement to spend one semester as student teachers, which introduces them to a variety of school settings (Catholic, public, charter, and private) and grade levels.
Compared to students enrolled in the History and Secondary Education B.A. program, students in the B.A./M.A. program have several advantages. They will have more flexibility during their undergraduate years because there is more room for free electives, thus broadening the possibility of exploring areas and topics of their interest within a typical liberal arts curriculum. The increased flexibility of the program may be especially useful to those students who wish to spend a semester abroad and take advantage of the specific courses offered at the institution of their choice. The program may also address the needs of those students who decide later on in their college career to opt for the teaching profession and will give them the ability of doing so by adding one year of study while getting a Master’s in Secondary Education.
Successful completion of the program requires careful planning. Any student interested in the program should meet with the Department of History’s Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUGS), Dr. Árpád von Klimó, and also the Department of Education’s Coordinator of the Secondary Education Program, Dr. Melissa Mitchell, as early as possible during undergraduate study in order to discuss and plan. They serve as co-advisers for the program.
Formal acceptance into the History and Secondary Education program is at the end of sophomore year. In exceptional cases, students may be able to apply during the junior year. Acceptance requires a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5, and also a minimum GPA of 3.0 in history and education courses. In addition, students need to pass the Praxis CORE tests or have obtained the necessary minimum scores on equivalent, accepted tests, such as SAT or ACT (current minimum scores can be found here), demonstrate dispositions compatible to successful teaching, and receive positive recommendations from faculty in the Departments of Education and History. Students who do not fulfill all requirements by the end of the sophomore year but who otherwise demonstrate high potential for a successful teaching career may be admitted provisionally and granted one additional semester to fulfill the requirements.
Admission to graduate history courses requires a cumulative GPA of 3.50 GPA. Specific history classes will be selected for each student in consultation with the Education program adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) in the Department of History, who will approve the course selection.
Curriculum and Suggested Sequence of Courses