Benefit from the only undergrad teaching program in Washington that's housed at a major research university.

• Learn from professors who have done extensive research, travel, and teaching abroad.
• Study and work with a diversity of young students that mirrors today’s classrooms.
• The U.S. Department of Education selected WSU for a grant of more than $11 million to create a model teacher preparation program centered on high-needs youths.
• Learn effective teaching: WSU offers the state’s only teacher preparation program that provides practical classroom teaching opportunities in every region of Washington.

The social studies teaching program at WSU integrates a major in social studies with teacher education courses that prepare you to pass the Washington state teacher certification exam and run a classroom of your own.

Here's a quick overview of the core courses.

Secondary education core requirements

The professional education course work begins with three prerequisite courses:

Writing and Research
Learning and Development
Initial Practicum Experience

After successfully completing the prerequisites, you can apply to the teacher education program in the College of Education and move on to the professional core.

Professional education core

Curriculum, Instruction and Content Literacy Methods
Teaching English Language Learners for Secondary Teachers
Secondary Methods of Educational Technology

Adolescence, Community, and School
Classroom Assessment for Secondary Students
Advanced Practicum
Special Education, Transition, and Classroom Management for Secondary General Education Teachers

For the full sequence of teacher certification courses, see the Teacher Education Program's web page.

Graduation requirements

See the WSU Catalog for degree requirements and talk with your academic advisor about planning and scheduling your courses. All students must meet requirements as outlined in the catalog in order to graduate.

Social studies is an interdisciplinary field that covers aspects of history, anthropology, economics, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology. The core courses of the major cover a lot of ground to prepare you for the topics you're likely to be teaching in your own classroom.

Core courses for social studies teaching

This overview doesn't include all requirements. Check the department's website for more about the social studies major.

As a social studies teaching major, you'll take courses like these.

• Core courses

Methods of Teaching Social Studies
Classical and Christian Europe
Modern Europe
American History to 1877
American History Since 1877

Introduction to Sociology
General Anthropology

American National Government
American Constitution
Money and Banking
Fundamentals of Macroeconomics

• History and geography electives—choose from courses like these:

History of the Pacific Northwest
Geographical History of United States
Space, Place, and Power: Historical Geography in Global Perspective
History of Anthropological Thought

Latin America: The Colonial Period
Latin America: The National Period
India: History and Culture
Introduction to Middle East History
Foundations of Islamic Civilization
Introduction to East Asian Culture

• Anthropology, sociology, and psychology electives--choose from courses like these:

Contemporary Cultures and Peoples of Africa
Gender in Cross Cultural Perspective
Native Peoples of North America
Origins of Culture and Civilization
America Before Columbus
Speech, Thought, and Culture

Pseudoscience and Human Behavior
Psychology of Women
Principles of Developmental Psychology
Motivation

Introduction to Social Research
The Family
Sociology of Gender
Society and Technology

Check the department's website for more about the social studies major.

For the full sequence of teacher certification courses, see the Teacher Education Program's web page.

Graduation requirements

See the WSU Catalog for degree requirements and talk with your academic advisor about planning and scheduling your courses. All students must meet requirements as outlined in the catalog in order to graduate.

A variety of state, federal, and university-sponsored programs are available to help students with educational costs.

For all students at WSU

Washington State University awards millions of dollars in financial aid and scholarships to students every year based on financial need, academic merit, or a combination of the two.

To get all the financial help WSU can provide, you'll need to do these two things:

• Complete the University's general scholarship application so you can be eligible for scholarship consideration.
• Complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) so WSU can consider you for aid (scholarships, grants, loans, etc.) based on financial need.

More about scholarships and financial aid

For social studies students

In addition to general university scholarships and other financial aid, WSU offers scholarships specifically for students in social studies teaching.

• The Department of History, which teaches the social studies major, has a number of scholarships available.
• The College of Arts and Sciences awards more than $50,000 in scholarships to students in its degree programs each year.
• The College of Education awards funds from 13 endowed scholarships to approximately 100 teacher education students every semester. For more information about these scholarships, call the College of Education at 509-335-7843 or e-mail beateacher@wsu.edu.

• Social studies students should enjoy studying past societies and events, have good critical thinking skills, and be able to draw connections and recognize patterns.

• A strong and broad high school background in humanities, social science, and languages is helpful preparation in the field of social studies.

• Students should take two years of a foreign language in high school, which will also meet a WSU graduation requirement.

• Future teachers should care about children and have the desire to make a real difference in the world.

Teaching and education

There are several student clubs and organizations for future teachers.

• The Educators Club is a pre-professional organization run by education students for education students. All future teachers are invited to join and participate in club activities.
• Kappa Delta Pi, the teaching student honors society, offers activities and networking opportunities.
• The Alhadeff Future Teachers of Color program offers mentorship and academic support to teaching students from underrepresented groups.

More about education student organizations

Social studies and related areas

Here are a few social studies-related student organizations you might want to look into:

• The history club
• The sociology club and Alpha Kappa Delta honor society
• 20+ Asia-related student clubs
• The anthropology club
• The philosophy club and mock trial teams

Social studies teachers may teach in public or private schools worldwide. Further study opens up possibilities as a coach, counselor, principal, or other administrative positions in schools.

During the 2015–2016 school year, the standard starting annual salary for a nine-month school year was $35,069 for Washington state teachers with a bachelor's degree, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. With additional education and experience, salaries can be much higher.