History Teaching (B.A., B.S.)

Student Success Advisor(s)

Sample Degree Plan

Program Summary

The History program is committed to preparing undergraduate students to understand their historical and cultural heritage. It supports the University’s mission by emphasizing excellence in teaching with courses grounded in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Its curriculum is designed to foster knowledge of human cultures and instill intellectual and practical skills involving inquiry and analysis, critical thinking, written and oral communication, teamwork, and problem solving. The history discipline supports the General Education program at the University. In cooperation with the College of Education and Human Development, the department prepares students for teaching careers in elementary and secondary schools, and it works to qualify majors for graduate study and advanced administrative specialization. In keeping with the University’s mission, the program emphasizes personal and social responsibility by requiring students to complete projects involving civic engagement, experiential learning, and service learning that elevate students’ civic knowledge, intercultural competence, and ethical reasoning, experiences that together provide foundations for engaged citizens and lifelong learning.

Program Learning Outcomes

• Students will possess factual and critical knowledge about past historical events, institutions, movements, figures, and societies and have the ability to identify key events that express change over time in a particular place or region, identify how change occurs over time, and explain historical continuity and change.
• Students will understand, describe, and critically assess historical theories, principles, and concepts and possess the ability to apply historical theories, principles, and concepts.
• Students will demonstrate effective oral and/or written communication skills.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to apply historical methods and research protocols to formulate historical questions, obtain data from primary and secondary sources, critically assess primary and secondary sources, and follow scholarly conventions of the discipline.
• Students will possess and demonstrate critical and analytical thinking and reasoning skills and demonstrate the ability to construct well-organized historical arguments that utilize historic data in support of a thesis.

Program Information

• All courses must be passed with a “C-” (1.7) or better to be counted in the major.
• No more than 15 lower-division (1000-2999) credits will be accepted towards the history teaching major.
• History majors may be recommended for a state of Utah teaching licensure in the secondary schools by earning a bachelor’s degree. Students interested in teaching are required to take SOSC 4900  and SOSC 4980  and complete the sequence of professional education courses offered through the College of Education and Human Development.
• This list identifies the history major credits and courses necessary to complete the history major portion of an undergraduate history teaching degree at SUU. The SUU College of Education and Human Development requires additional courses and credits in order to complete the education/licensure portion of this major (see Secondary Education Licensure ).