Making an Advising Appointment
Information for First-Year Students
Information for Transfers & Licensure Only Students
History Major Requirements/ Social Studies Courses
Teacher Education Program (RCOE) Information
Graduate Studies: MA in History (Teaching Concentration)
Click here to view the 2024-25 History/Social Studies Education program of study.
Making an Advising Appointment
The History/Social Studies Education advisor is Jenny Morris, she can be reached at morrisjf1@appstate.edu or 829-262-2088.
All students in the College of Arts and Sciences are required to attend an advising appointment each semester. Jenny Morris will be in touch at the beginning of each semester with reminders regarding when and how to make an advising appointment. Please use this link to schedule an advising appointment and complete this Pre-Advising Google Form - prior to your scheduled appointment. Appointment location and mode (virtual or in-person) will be listed on your confirmation.
Information for First-Year Students
Your goal as a first-year freshman is to start progressing through your General Education requirements, which total 44 s.h. Please make sure to carefully plan each semester with your advisor(s). Ideally, you want to start satisfying Gen Ed requirements before moving on to advanced History, Social Studies, and Education courses. Use the University Bulletin to review course descriptions for classes you are interested in registering for. In order to plan your coursework, review the Four-Year Guides produced by our program with a suggested progression of courses. Programs of Study are helpful to review program requirements and are hyperlinked with course descriptions!
For a list of Gen Ed 2.0 courses (and aligned themes), see course descriptions
Information for Transfers & Licensure-Only Students
Transfer students who arrive at App State with an Associate's degree will have already fulfilled Gen Ed requirements; the main priority is to enroll in the first Education courses that are open to all students, and do not require formal acceptance to RCOE, as well as begin fulfilling History and Social Studies course requirements (particularly HIS 2800). Transfer students who do not hold an Associate's degree may have to take Gen Ed courses. Regardless of status, advisors will help transfer students with a transcript evaluation. Please note that any History classes (up to four) taken at the 2000-level at another institution can count towards the major.
Suggested degree plans created by Transfer Admissions & Engagement can be accessed in the Transfer Guides.
For those who already hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree, and are seeking 9-12 licensure by completing specific parts of the History/Social Studies Education program of study, you will undergo a transcript evaluation first. Afterward, a contract will be developed in conjunction with the Licensure Specialist in RCOE and the HEP office in the History Dept. This contract outlines your specific plan of study toward licensure. More information about the licensure-only program and the free transcript evaluation that accompanies inquiries into the program can be found on the RCOE's Licensure & Certification webpage.
History Major Requirements/Social Studies Courses
All history majors fulfill the same requirements (36 s.h.) and are assessed in the same way by the department. The only differences in the four History tracks (BA History, BS Public History, BS Multidisciplinary, and BS History, Social Studies Education) are the requirements specific to the program concentration. For the History/Social Studies Education program of study, the requirements include courses in the College of Education, edTPA assessment for student teaching, and coursework across several departments for the Social Studies concentration and 9-12 licensure.
To use the University Bulletin to access the History/Social Studies program of study, follow the instructions below:
- Go to the University Bulletin website.
- Use the left-hand menu to select the academic year you will begin studying at Appalachian State University (or the closest year.)
- Use the left-hand menu on the Program of Study page to select “programs of study.”
- Select the hyperlinked program of study for “History/Social Studies Education, BS.”
For specific recommendations for course planning and sequencing, use the documents below prior to your advising appointment:
Instructions for Creating a Graduation Plan
Teacher Education Program (RCOE) Information
History/Social Studies Education majors will need to apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program in the Reich College of Education (RCOE). Admission is required in order to take advanced Education courses.
All History/Social Studies Education majors graduate from the College of Arts & Sciences. Admission to the Teacher Education program is a requirement for any student seeking a 9-12 licensure. Requirements to apply to the Teacher Education Program can be found on the RCOE's Apply to Teacher Education webpage. More details on the application process to RCOE are located on their webpage. If you have questions or issues with the application process, contact Jenny Morris (morrisjf1@appstate.edu), Program Associate & Advisor for HEP (Office 214G, Anne Belk), or by email at: historyeducation@appstate.edu.
Please use the following links to view the requirements and information for :
James Center Praxis CORE Resources
Praxis CORE Study Resources (Khan Academy)
Praxis II Exam
Before applying for jobs in education, all students should take the PRAXIS II exam for 9-12 social studies and other PRAXIS exams for licensure (see requirements for each state). In NC, licensure of 9-12 social studies includes passing one exam and edTPA. Please use our PRAXIS II handout (PDF, 66 KB) for information and study resources. PRAXIS exams are offered each month at various test sites in NC and neighboring states. Make sure to register for and take the PRAXIS II exam before student teaching if possible.
Once you have cleared one teaching license, it becomes easier to add on a second license. For more information on licensure, seeking a 2nd license area, or teaching outside of North Carolina, visit the FAQs page of the NC Dept. of Public Instruction.
Student Teaching (Clinical Interns)
The final semester of this program centers on Student Teaching. It is 12 s.h. and the only course our majors register for in their final semester. Majors should have completed all other courses in the History/Social Studies Education program of study prior to beginning student teaching.
Majors will meet with the HEP Director and Program Associate three times during their student teaching semester. A week before History Ed majors begin student teaching (mid-August, early January), clinical interns (student teachers) meet with their assigned History Dept. Academic Consultant who will be observing them throughout the semester. The middle semester meeting will focus on questions related to planning or edTPA. A final Exit Meeting takes place halfway through student teaching, right before the Education Career Fair, where all education-related majors meet with school system representatives in a Job Fair setting.
Clinical Interns will receive their placements by email from the Office of Field Experience. For more information, go to the Student Teaching page on the RCOE website. All clinical interns will be assessed via edTPA. RCOE will conduct orientation sessions, but HEP and History Dept. faculty and staff will also lead the edTPA 9-12 History/Social Studies Education-specific sessions on those days.
Graduate Program: M.A. in History (Teaching Concentration)
The Department of History offers a program track in the Master of Arts (M.A.) in History focused on teaching. Students currently enrolled in the undergraduate B.S. in History/Social Studies Education may be eligible to apply for the Accelerated Admissions route, sometimes referred to as a "4+1 program" because participants can graduate in five (5) years with an M.A. degree. Current 9-12 social teachers, and recent graduates of the B.S. in History/Social Studies Education program, may want to consider either a part-time or full-time route, the latter typically lasting two (2) years. Each semester, the Department of History offers graduate courses that meet in person but with online video conference capabilities for distance students.
For more information, and specific requirements, visit our graduate program page at: history.appstate.edu/academics/graduate-programs
For more information, and specific requirements, for the M.A. in History (Teaching), visit: history.appstate.edu/academics/graduate-programs/ma-history-teaching.
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