Social Studies/Secondary Education, B.A.

Admissions for 2027-2028

• First Time Freshmen are admitted directly to the major.
• Students transferring from another WVU major or from another institution with fewer than 24 credits and at least a 2.0 overall GPA are admitted directly to the major.
• Students transferring from another WVU major or from another institution with 24-60 hours must meet the following requirement: 2.5 overall GPA.
• Students transferring from another WVU major or from another institution with 61 or more hours or more must meet the following requirement: 2.75 overall GPA.

Major Code: 1491

General Education Foundations

Please use this link to view a list of courses that meet each GEF requirement.

NOTE: Some major requirements will fulfill specific GEF requirements. Please see the curriculum requirements listed below for details on which GEFs you will need to select.

Please note that not all of the GEF courses are offered at all campuses. Students should consult with their advisor or academic department regarding the GEF course offerings available at their campus.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete WVU General Education Foundations requirements, Eberly Edge Program requirements, major requirements, and electives to total a minimum of 120 credit hours.

Departmental Requirements for the B.A. in Social Studies/Secondary Education

Students wishing to graduate with a degree in Social Studies/Secondary Education must abide by the following rules:

• Calculation of the GPA in the major: Students must earn a minimum grade of C- in all courses applied to major requirements, and a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75. If a course is repeated, all attempts will be included in the calculation of the GPA unless the course is eligible for a D/F repeat.
• Writing Requirement: The Social Studies/Secondary Education program is a SpeakWrite Affiliated Program, committed to fostering and assessing student's written, verbal, visual, and mediated communication skills.  The Social Studies major requires its Bachelor of Arts program graduates to complete HIST 250, HIST 464, HIST 300/400 (social studies elective), HIST 300/400 level in the African, Asia, Latin American concentration (social studies elective).
• WV State Certification Requirements:
  • PRAXIS II #5581 Social Studies Content Knowledge (NOTE: Successful completion of this assessment is required prior to Residency 1; scores must be received prior to obtaining a residency teaching permit.)
  • edTPA Teacher Performance Assessment – a three-part performance exam during Residency 2. NOTE: Successful completion of this assessment is required for program completion.
  • Teacher candidates complete field experience hours in middle and high schools while completing professional education coursework. During the final year of the program, teacher candidates are placed in an appropriate school to complete their residency experience. The School of Education in the College of Applied Human Sciences coordinates the placement and supervision of teacher candidates as they engage in these professional experiences.
• Capstone Requirement: The university requires the successful completion of a Capstone course.
• Credit Limitation: A maximum of 46 hours in HIST, exclusive of HIST 191 and HIST 491 may be included within the 120 hours (minimum) required for graduation.

Curriculum Requirements

University Requirements

Eberly Edge Program Requirements

Social Studies/Secondary Education Major Requirements

Suggested Plan of Study

Degree Progress

• By the end of the fourth semester in the major, the student must have completed EDUC 200 with a C- or better and must have a minimum GPA of 2.75. If a student does not meet these criteria, they will be removed from the major until the benchmarks are met. At this time, students will apply to be admitted into professional education coursework per state requirements.
• By the end of the sixth semester in the major, the student must have completed 125 hours of field placement and must have a minimum GPA of a 2.75. Students must earn passing scores on required Praxis examinations as designated by the State of West Virginia prior to placement in student teaching.
• The Year-Long Residency (student teaching) occurs during the final year of the program and must be completed in sequence according to the West Virginia University academic calendar (August through May). Failure to complete the residency within the designated academic year will require re-enrollment in the full residency sequence.
• Successful completion of a clinical student teaching practicum and a passing score on the edTPA performance assessment are required for program completion and recommendation for teacher certification.
• To graduate with this major, a student needs an overall GPA of 2.75.

Major Learning Outcomes

Social Studies/Secondary Education

The learning goals for the WVU Secondary Teacher Education Program are to prepare students who:

1. Have commitment and skills to engage in life-long learning;
2. Are effective communicators;
3. Recognize that teaching is a professional, moral, and ethical enterprise with well-developed ethical frameworks which facilitate effective teaching;
4. Will serve as a facilitator of learning for all students;
5. Possess in-depth knowledge of both pedagogy and content, and the relationships between them;
6. Are reflective practitioners;
7. Are aware of, and have respect for, human diversity;
8. Value and integrate knowledge from a wide variety of fields, are creative and open to new ideas, and are able to act constructively in a world characterized by technological, cultural, and societal diversity and change.