B.S. Secondary Social Studies Education
Nova Southeastern University Undergraduate Programs
Key Information
Campus location
Fort Lauderdale, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 33,510
Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Specialize in Teaching History and Government
Teaching social sciences to students in middle school and high school gives you the opportunity to educate our future political leaders, historians, and economists. Nova Southeastern University’s Bachelor of Science in Secondary Social Studies Education provides a comprehensive set of methods courses specifically designed for social studies instruction and assessment.
NSU’s B.S. in Secondary Social Studies Education features a specialty component with a variety of social science courses that comprise the content of the Florida Department of Education-approved Secondary Social Sciences Education major. The courses emphasize curriculum development, instruction, and assessment in subject areas such as history, geography, political science, economics, and sociology for secondary social studies.
The courses are based on the Florida Standards and the current statewide assessment in social studies (grades 6–12). This degree focuses on developing teacher-leaders who are equipped with the skills to promote academic excellence, equity, cultural awareness, and social responsibility in diverse educational settings.
Why Should You Major in Secondary Social Studies Education at NSU?
- Earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in only 4 years.
- Be prepared to sit for Florida state certification exams in Secondary Social Studies Education.
- Earn a $19,000 annual tuition scholarship.
- Get a free international travel experience.
- Get job offers in one of Florida's largest school districts.
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Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Curriculum
First-year seminar
- UNIV 1000: First-Year Seminar
General Education Requirements
Written Composition
- Open Written Composition
Mathematics
- 6 credits at or above MATH 1040
- Open Mathematics: Math 1040 or Higher
- MATH 1050: Concepts in Geometry & Logic
Arts and Humanities
- 6 credits in HIST, ARTS, PHIL, HUMN, LITR, THEA, FILM, MUSC, DANC, WRIT, foreign language
- HIST 1050
- HIST 2150
Social and Behavioral Sciences
- ECN 2025
- SOCL 1020
Science
- 6 credits in BIOL, MBIO, CHEM, SCIE, ENVS, PHYS
- PHYS 1020
- Open Science
Open electives
Complete 8 elective courses.
Major
- The U.S.: From Settlement to Superpower
- Fundamentals of Peer Education
- Cross-Cultural Studies
- Practices of Instruction
- Educational Assessment
- Latin American and Caribbean History
- Foundations of Education
- Survey of TESOL for Teachers
- Survey of Exceptional Student Education
- Intro to Political Science
- (Select one Advanced Study course with a HIST prefix)
- Second Language Learning
- Secondary Classroom Management in Multic
- Methods of Teaching Secondary Social Studies
- Survey of Geography
- Principles of Macroeconomics
- Methods of Teaching Secondary Reading
- Foundations of Curriculum Development
- American Government and Politics
- Intro to Sociology
- The World: From Gatherers to Globalization
- Florida Teacher Cert. Exam. - Subject Area Examination
- Florida Teacher Cert. Exam. - Professional Educator Test
- Teaching Controversial Topics in Social Studies
- Diversity and Ethics
- Secondary English Education Internship
Experiential Learning/Internships
During your undergraduate studies, you’ll have a number of mentorship opportunities and both simulated and real-world classroom experiences which will prepare you for the classrooms of tomorrow.
The field experiences provide you with an opportunity to perform the duties of a classroom teacher within the classroom setting. The purpose of these experiences is to allow teacher candidates to demonstrate their understanding of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices and subject area competencies. A minimum of 10 field experience hours are required through education coursework and are to be completed throughout the Secondary Social Studies Education program.
The clinical practice (internship) is the culminating real-world classroom experience; a 12 week, full-time school placement providing for hands-on experience in lesson planning, instructional delivery, student assessment, and parent/teacher interactions. Teacher candidates (interns) are matched with a school and certified teacher that will compliment your NSU supervisory and faculty team. The internship is designed to expand responsibilities each week as you become an integral member of the school community and teaching team. Your assigned mentor teacher will guide you along weekly as you assume full responsibility of the classroom, and upon successful completion of the internship, you will emerge as a highly qualified educator.
Career Opportunities
Get the Fischler Academy Advantage
This degree is a product of NSU’s Fischler Academy program, which is an experiential, project-driven, mastery-based program combining cutting-edge teaching pedagogies in a highly personalized learning environment. The academy combines bachelor’s and master’s degree programs designed for traditional first-time-in-college students who wish to become educational leaders. Fischler Academy combines the very best in student-centered teaching strategies with competency-based educational experiences. Our mission is to educate great teachers who will inspire generations of students.
Average Starting Salary
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary for middle and high school teachers in 2019 was $59,660 and $61,660, respectively.
Shark Destinations
You’ll find NSU education alumni at school districts all around the country, including Broward County Public Schools and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (the sixth-largest in the nation), Palm Beach County Public Schools, Pinellas County Public Schools, the Archdiocese of Miami, and Exceed Preparatory Academy. Our alumni serve as teachers for K-12 students or support the future of other educators in administrative roles.