Social Studies Education 5-12 Major

The B.A. in Social Studies Education 5-12 will prepare you for a career teaching history, government, and other social studies classes at the middle or high school levels. It combines coursework in history and social sciences with pedagogical training from the Department of Education, concluding with a student teaching experience in an area school. Students often add a second major in history or one of the social sciences. Advanced study of a second language is also a good fit for students preparing to teach grades 5-12. If you’d rather work with younger students, you can major in elementary education and add a licensure in social studies (5-8).

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What can I do with this degree?

Our graduates teach in middle schools and high schools—public, private, and charter; face-to-face and online. Most work in Minnesota, but we also have alumni teaching everywhere from Montana and Colorado to Iowa and Illinois. (And some seek opportunities to teach beyond the United States.) Graduates teach subjects like American and world history, government and civics, geography, psychology, and economics.

Some also work as coaches or go on to become school principals. Others move into higher education or work to develop educational resources like textbooks and software.

Most continue their studies in graduate school, where they add new skills in fields like curriculum design, administration, or special education.

What skills will I develop?

You'll learn to think critically, communicate clearly, and make a lifelong impact on young people. Our program is academically rigorous (you need to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA), which helps explain why we have such a good track record placing students in schools in the Twin Cities and beyond.

What unique experiences or opportunities will I have?

From their first education course at Bethel through their semester as a student teacher, social studies education majors spend several hours each week in local schools. You’ll get to work with experienced teachers in a variety of settings, putting what you’ve learned into practice and building connections that will serve you well in your career.