Nov 24, 2024  
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog (Edited Version) 
    
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog (Edited Version)

History: Secondary Education Certification (Social Studies Secondary Education Certification), BA


 

History majors who wish to teach social studies can seek certification. This comprehensive certificate permits graduates to teach secondary social studies courses, including history, political science, economics, geography, and world cultures in secondary schools. In addition to professional education courses of study and experiences in the field, the Pennsylvania Department of Education requires competency and a knowledge base in college level history, economics, government, political science, comparative political systems, geography, non-Western culture, and historical and social science research methods. This material is mastered in distribution requirements of the university.

Curriculum Sequence


Changes may occur via the Pennsylvania Department of Education and will be communicated to you through your advisor. Education students must receive a grade of B (3.0) or better in the majority of education classes. Students must have a 2.9 overall GPA and pass PAPA, CORE, or have SAT or ACT scores that are high enough to offer exemption from these assessments to be admitted to teacher candidacy. Please see the office of certification for more information on testing. Students must have current criminal record checks, FBI clearances, and child abuse clearances. For majors other than history, students will meet with a faculty advisor to integrate social studies certification requirements with their majors.

First Year


Fall (15.5 Credits)


Spring (15.5 Credits)


Sophomore


Fall (16 Credits)


Spring (15 Credits)


Junior


Fall (18 Credits)


Spring (18 Credits)


Senior


Fall (15 Credits)


Spring (15 Credits)


Total Credits: 128


**A minimum of 6 credits of advanced history in U.S. history, a minimum of 6 credits in European history, and a minimum of 6 credits in non-Western history.

Any of these will fulfill the PDE literature requirement: ENGL 131 , ENGL 132 , ENGL 133 , ENGL 134 , ENGL 135 —literary history surveys. ENGL 115 ENGL 124 —intro-level literature courses that focus on genre. ENGL 335 ENGL 363 —upper-level British literature courses. ENGL 365 -ENGL 376 —upper-level American literature courses. ENGL 115 ENGL 123 , ENGL 301 , ENGL 305- ENGL308, ENGL 324 , ENGL 326 –ENGL 329, ENGL 401 , ENGL 405 , ENGL 409 .

The program of study that appears here applies to students who were admitted for the summer session of this catalog year and later.  Students admitted prior to that term should select the appropriate catalog year of their admission.  Choose previous catalogs from the Home, Graduate, or Undergraduate Catalog Page at http://Catalog.widener.edu.

Secondary Education Programs


Students can pursue secondary teacher certification in biology , chemistry , earth and space science  (see science), English , French  (see modern language), mathematics , physics , social studies (history or political science), and Spanish  (see modern language). See the individual majors in the College of Arts & Sciences  section for requirements and curricula for each certification listed above.

Education courses required for secondary certification include ED 100 , ED 107 , ED 306 , ED 307 , ED 308 , ED 309 , ED 310 , ED 415 , ED 411 , ED 421 , ED 330 , and an appropriate course in teaching methods for the selected certification area. In addition, each student must adjust his/her subject-matter academic work to meet the requirements for a full-time student teaching experience during the senior year, a 14-week experience of teaching a full complement of secondary courses.