History, Teacher of History Licensure (5-12), B.A.

Westfield State University’s educator preparation programs are approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). The Westfield State University program for licensure for teachers of History has been recognized by the National Council for the Social Studies.

Teacher of History (5-12) Requirements

Students wishing to be licensed to teach History at the Middle or High School level must complete the following:

All courses for the History major (45 credits);
The following core courses which may be selected from the Common Core requirements (a minimum grade of B- is required);
Two courses in Geography
One course in Political Science
One course in Economics or HIST 0273
The Professional Sequence for Middle and Secondary (36 credits);
HIST 0332 - Methods of Teaching History: Middle and Secondary Credits: 3

Student progress toward meeting Advanced Standing in Teacher Education is monitored at the end of the sophomore year (57 credits). All students must meet the requirements for Advanced Standing to achieve teacher candidacy. Please see the section on Licensure for Teacher Education.

In order to be eligible for student teaching, a student must have completed all required course and field work, have an overall GPA of 2.8 (including transfer work), and have a passing grade in the appropriate Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL; i.e., Communication and Literacy and subject matter tests).

Requirements for the History Major - 45 Credits

Required Major Core - 27 Credits

Students must earn at least 21 of their history credits from Westfield State University.

HIST 0131 - United States History and Government to 1865 Credits: 3
HIST 0132 - United States History and Government 1865 - Present Credits: 3
HIST 0101 - Western Experience I Credits: 3
HIST 0102 - Western Experience II Credits: 3
HIST 0113 - Early World History Credits: 3
HIST 0114 - Modern World History Credits: 3
HIST 0121 - The Historian Credits: 3
HIST 0202 - Introduction to Historical Research and Analysis Credits: 3
HIST 0395 - Senior Seminar Credits: 3
or HIST 0332 - Methods of Teaching History: Middle and Secondary (for students seeking Licensure for Teacher of History)

History Distribution Electives - 18 Credits

Student must select six history electives totaling at least 18 credits. Students may not select more than four courses from any one area of history (United States, European, or World) in fulfilling this requirement.

Note:

Students must complete at least two electives at the 0300-level. A three-credit internship may be used to fulfill one 200-level elective course. Students may not take more than two independent study courses. Students who are considering graduate school strongly are encouraged to take a foreign language.

LLIT 0220 may count as a Eurpoean history elective when the topic is the Holocaust.

Students interested in teacher licensure MUST meet with the program director, to ensure that they enroll in courses which meet the requirements of that program.

Professional Sequence: Middle and Secondary (Grades 5-12)

The Professional Sequence for Middle and Secondary must be completed by students intending to teach an academic subject area in the Middle or Secondary School. Students must complete an academic major in the subject area in which the licensure is sought.

Professional Sequence Core:

EDUC 0208 - Teaching in U.S. Secondary Schools Credits: 3 (preferred)
or EDUC 0220 - Schools in US Society Credits: 3 (*FB)
EDUC 0215 - Theory of Critical Multicultural Education Credits: 3

Professional Sequence Courses Middle and Secondary:

EDUC 0221 - Foundations of Special Education Credits: 3 (*FB)
EDUC 0321 - Middle School and its Students Credits: 3 (*FB)
EDUC 0341 - Field Experience 3: Advanced Theory to Practice Credits: 1 (*FB)
EDUC 0354 - Teaching Middle and High School Students Credits: 3 (*FB)
EDUC 0363 - Sheltered English Immersion Credits: 3
PSYC 0203 - Adolescent Development Credits: 3
Appropriate academic Methods course, such as the following:
BIOL 0390 - Teaching Secondary School Biology Credits: 3
ENGL 0350 - Methods of Teaching English in the Secondary and/or Middle School Credits: 4
GNSC 0371 - Methods of Science Education for the Middle School Credits: 3
GNSC 0373 - Methods of Chemistry Education Credits: 3
HIST 0332 - Methods of Teaching History: Middle and Secondary Credits: 3
MOVP 0314 - Physical Education Teaching Methodology: Elementary and Secondary Credits: 3
Note: *FB indicates Field Based course.

Practicum

Appropriate academic Practicum and Seminar, such as the following:

ART 0351 - Practicum (Teaching Art, 5-12) Credits: 12
EDUC 0364 - Practicum: Middle School Credits: 10 *
EDUC 0369 - Practicum: Secondary School Credits: 10 *
EDUC 0372 - 5-12 Practicum: English and History Credits: 10 *
ENGL 0322 - Practicum Seminar: English Education Credits: 2 **
MOVP 0352 - Practicum II in Physical Education - Secondary Credits: 6
*Must take EDUC 0300 - Practicum Seminar (2 credits) as a co-requisite.
**Middle and Secondary education students in English must take ENGL 0322.

Pedagogical Coursework

An overall 2.8 GPA plus a 3.0 GPA in the pedagogical sequence specific to your licensure program prior to practicum is required. Consult with the department on which courses are classified as part of the pedagogy requirements.

Additional Graduation Requirements

All students must meet the University Graduation Requirements and complete a general education or common core of studies, distributed among the different academic areas as detailed in General Education: WISE or Common Core .