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

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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 ).

General Education Requirement (30-35 Credits)

See General Education for course options.

Core Course Requirements (12-15 Credits)
Knowledge Area Requirements (16-20 Credits)

Please note: All students must complete a minimum of 30 credits between the Core and Knowledge Area requirements.

Bachelor’s Degree Type: Arts or Science Requirement (12* or 16** Credits)

Select one degree type from either Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science:

Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree Requirement (12 Credits*)

Bachelor of Science Degree - Math or Science minimum requirement 12 Credits

* Note: A portion of the B.S. requirements may be met by fulfilling the General Education Core and Knowledge Areas. Because of this, these credits are typically not counted in the degree total at the bottom of page. Some students majoring in non-science fields may need additional math/science courses to reach the minimum 12 credits. Consult your Student Success Advisor for details.

or

Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree Requirement (16 Credits**)

Bachelor of Arts Degree - Foreign Language Requirement 16 Credits

** Note: One semester of a foreign language may also fulfill the General Education Humanities requirement. The 16 credits may be fulfilled by taking four semesters of a foreign language or by testing out of a language and purchasing the credits. These credits are typically counted in the degree total at the bottom of the page. Consult your Student Success Advisor for details.

History Teaching Curriculum (40 Credits)

History Elective (1 Credit)

Select a minimum of 1 upper-division credit of HIST course(s)

Free Electives (29-53 Credits)

Total elective credit is determined by General Education courses taken, degree type selected, additional credits earned, and any additional math or other prerequisite courses needed. For a bachelor’s degree, students must earn a minimum of 40 upper-division credits (courses numbered 3000-4999). Students may need to select additional upper-division courses not included in their major requirements in order to reach this minimum. Please consult your Student Success Advisor for details.

Total Credits, B.A./B.S. Degree: 120

Professional Education Requirements for Secondary Licensure (36-39 Credits)*

To qualify for a teaching license, students must also complete the sequence of professional education courses listed by the Department of Teacher Education . Please see the degree requirements for Secondary Education Licensure . Some classes required for the licensure cannot be taken until the teacher candidate has been admitted to the College of Education and Human Development. Please consult your advisor or the Department of Teacher Education for further instruction.

* Students who complete their teaching methods course(s) and student teaching as part of their major requirements will earn fewer than 36 credits. Those course credits are counted only once in the degree total.