Secondary Education (7-12), Social Studies, B.A.

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This program provides students the opportunity to prepare for a career in teaching Social Studies at the middle school and or high school level. Students in the program learn the content and pedagogical knowledge required to become transformative classroom teachers and to support their future students’ academic achievement. Content courses help students develop knowledge and skills in the field of Social Studies; including History, Geography, Economics, Government, and Sociology. Education courses help students learn the instructional techniques, assessment methods, and technological knowledge to succeed in today’s dynamic classrooms. Students pursuing certification in Secondary Education must complete the Department of Education certification requirements including engaging in field experiences in school settings, successfully completing the Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA), and maintaining professional dispositions.

Requirements for Graduation:

To be eligible for graduation, students majoring in Secondary Education-Social Studies must complete a minimum of 125 credits, achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher, satisfy the College’s residency requirements, and complete the General Education Requirements of the College. A minimum grade of 2.0 is required for First Year Seminar and all courses taken as part of Foundations. Courses used to complete the General Education Requirements may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.

The General Education Requirements of the college require students to successfully complete First Year Seminar, Foundations, Disciplinary Perspectives, and a Constellation. Students who enter the college with 30 credit hours completed will not take a First Year Seminar course and therefore must take an additional 3 credits for graduation. Transfer students that are awarded 60 or more credits upon acceptance to York College will not be required to complete a Constellation.

In addition, students majoring in Secondary Education Social Studies must achieve a 3.0 or higher in each of the following six courses- FCO105, FYS110, MAT115, MAT150, SE210 and SE220. Students seeking certification in Secondary Education Social Studies will be required to have a minimum of 190 hours of Field Experience prior to the Student Teaching semester and meet specific requirements as noted in the Certification Requirements section in the Department of Education.

General Education Requirement

Constellation Requirement

The Constellation requirement is met when a student completes four courses from a minimum of three disciplines within the Constellation requirements. Transfer students that are awarded 60 or more credits upon acceptance to York College will not be required to complete a Constellation except for Education majors.

All education majors are required to declare the Children and Family constellation as part of their General Education requirements. This constellation provides coursework in areas that relate directly to the field of education such as child development, literacy development and English language learners. The content in these specific courses will includes competencies that are required to earn a Pennsylvania Teaching Certification. The courses include PSY 221 , SPE 200 , SPE 301 and a course that is required in this major (EDU 225 ).