2025-2026 Academic Catalog

Dec 05, 2025

2025-2026 Academic Catalog

Social Science Education, BA (SOCSCIED-BA)

CIP Code: 131317

Program Description

Students intending to teach secondary-level social studies (Grades 7-12) in the Ohio public school system earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in social science education, a multi-disciplinary major including work in history, economics, political science, and geography.

Program Admission Requirements

For licensure, candidates must be accepted into and satisfy the requirements of the Adolescence to Young Adult: Integrated Social Studies (AYA: ISS) licensure program through a sequence of courses and field placements offered through the College of Health, Education, and Human Services alongside their Social Science Education (SSE) degree. Upon completion of the academic content and professional teaching requirements, students are eligible to apply for licensure in AYA: Integrated Social Studies from the Ohio Department of Education. Students who are not accepted into the licensure program may still complete the SSE degree without licensure.

Candidates must meet with a College of Health, Education, and Human Services Licensure Advisor early in the bachelor’s degree program to learn how to apply for school placements, deadlines, admissions details, and other important information.

Program Learning Objectives

Students enrolled in this program will learn to:

Be effective writers;
Develop strong analytical and critical thinking skills;
Demonstrate knowledge of the differences among history, political science, economics, and geography as distinct scholarly disciplines;
Demonstrate knowledge of the ways these disciplines integrate together and the utility of that integration;
Demonstrate the content knowledge needed to pass the Ohio Assessment for Educators examination for Integrated Social Studies.

Program Learning Outcomes

As a result of their learning experience, graduates of this program can:

Write effectively;
Demonstrate strong analytical and critical thinking skills;
Demonstrate knowledge of the differences among history, political science, economics, and geography as distinct scholarly disciplines;
Demonstrate knowledge of the ways these disciplines integrate together and the utility of that integration;
Demonstrate the content knowledge needed to pass the Ohio Assessment for Educators examination for Integrated Social Studies.

Honors Program

The Honors Program in Social Science Education enables superior and highly motivated students to engage in an in-depth study of topics within SSE of interest to them, and to develop their scholarly abilities in this interdisciplinary field. Under the direction of a faculty tutor and with the approval of the Program Director, students in the Honors Program will complete an honors project over two semesters in the senior year that culminates in an honors thesis. For further information on eligibility requirements and enrollment, see the Program Director.

State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)

This program prepares students to be eligible to apply for a professional license to practice in the state of Ohio. Students planning to work in other states or countries should contact the relevant state licensing board in the state where you plan to work before beginning the program. SARA does not provide reciprocity for state professional licensure requirements. Academic programs and the program graduate must meet standards set by the licensing board in a state in order for the graduate to be eligible for a license in that state.

For More Information

Program Requirements

I. Wright State Core: 37 Credit Hours

As a part of the requirements for a bachelor’s degree at Wright State University, all students must complete the Wright State Core, a general education curriculum. Most programs require 36 hours in the Core, some programs may require additional hours.

Specific Core classes in some of the Elements may be required by some majors. When this occurs, the specific Core courses required will be listed below. In Elements where a specific course is not required, students can choose any course from the Wright State Core Program Requirements.

First-Year Seminar: 3 Credit Hours

All students must successfully complete a First-Year Seminar during their first year. Transfer students who transfer 24 or more credit hours (post high school graduation) are exempt from this requirement and will need to satisfy three additional credit hours in the Additional Core Courses category.

LA 1020 - First-Year Seminar: College of Liberal Arts Credit Hour(s): 3

Element A - English Composition: 6 Credit Hours

First-Year Writing Course (3 credit hours)

All students must successfully complete ENG 1100.  Based on Writing Placement level, some students may be required to enroll in a corequisite course (DEV 0100). 
ENG 1100 - Academic Writing and Reading Credit Hour(s): 3
Second-Year Writing Course (3 credit hours)
ENG 2100 - Research Writing and Argumentation Credit Hour(s): 3

Element B - Mathematics, Statistics, and Logic: 3 Credit Hours

Students will select one Element B course from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements list. Based on Math Placement Level, students may need additional prerequisite or corequisite coursework in mathematics prior to enrollment in the course chosen.

Element C - Arts and Humanities: 6 Credit Hours

Students will select two Arts and Humanities courses, with different course prefixes from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements. One course must fulfill the History requirement.

History Requirement (3 credit hours)

Required:
HST 1100 - Western Civilizations to 1500 Credit Hour(s): 3
Arts and Humanities Course (3 credit hours)

Choose an additional Arts and Humanities course (a different prefix from what is chosen above) from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements.

Element D - Social and Behavorial Sciences: 6 Credit Hours

Students will select two Social and Behavioral Sciences courses, with different course prefixes from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements.

Required:

EC 2040 - Principles of Microeconomics Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 2120 - American National Government Credit Hour(s): 3

Element E - Natural Sciences: 7 Credit Hours

Students will select two Natural Science courses, from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements. At least one course must contain a laboratory.

Additional Core Courses: 6 Credit Hours

Students will select up to 6 additional credit hours from Elements A-E from the approved Wright State Core Program Requirements to reach the 36 minimum hours required in the Core. Unless specified by the student’s major, these are selected by the student. When a major has required courses in this area, the specific Core course(s) required will be listed below.

Required:

EC 2050 - Principles of Macroeconomics Credit Hour(s): 3
HST 1200 - The West and the World since 1500 Credit Hour(s): 3

Additional Core Requirements

Within the 36 credit hours of the Wright State Core students must successfully complete the following:

One Global Inquiry (GI) course

Two Inclusive Excellence (IE) courses

One to two Integrated Writing (IW) courses. To meet degree requirements all students must complete a minimum of 3 IW courses by choosing either (a) 1 in the Core and 2 in the major or (b) 2 in the Core and 1 in the major. Students should check their major program requirements for courses that fulfill Integrated Writing.

Students who do not make choices within the 36 required hours of the Core to fulfill the GI, IE, and IW requirements will take additional Core hours beyond the minimum of 36.

II. Departmental Requirements: 47 Credit Hours

Introductory Components: 20 Credit Hours

HST 2110 and HST 2120 should be taken before any upper-division History courses are attempted.

Take all of the following courses:

ED 2600 - Introduction to Education Credit Hour(s): 3
ED 2650 - Early Field Experience I: Introduction to the Education Profession Credit Hour(s): 1
ED 2700 - Introduction to Educational Psychology Credit Hour(s): 3
ED 2750 - Early Field Experience II: Introduction to Educational Psychology Credit Hour(s): 1
ED 2800 - Cultural Humility for Working with Youth Credit Hour(s): 3
EDS 2900 - Individuals with Exceptionalities Credit Hour(s): 3
HST 2110 - American History to 1877 Credit Hour(s): 3
HST 2120 - American History Since 1877 Credit Hour(s): 3

History Courses (Upper Division): 12 Credit Hours

Students will complete a historical methodology course (HST 3000) and three additional 3000 or 4000-level HST classes. HST 3000 should be taken before any 4000-level classes are attempted.

No more than two courses from any one historical area (US, European, non-Western). At least one course must be a non-Western course.

HST 3000 - Introduction to Historical Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
Choose 3 3000-4000 level HST classes Credit Hour(s): 9

Political Science Courses: 9 Credit Hours

Required:
PLS 2220 - International Politics Credit Hour(s): 3
Choose two courses from the following list:
PLS 3310 - Political Parties Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 3350 - The American Presidency Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 3420 - Civil Liberties I: First Amendment Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 3430 - Civil Liberties II: Due Process Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 4260 - Supreme Court in American Politics Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 4300 - American Government Seminar Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 4400 - Constitutional Law Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 4730 - American Foreign Policy Credit Hour(s): 3

Geography Courses: 6 Credit Hours

GEO 2100 - Physical Geography Credit Hour(s): 3
GEO 2200 - Human Geography Credit Hour(s): 3

III. College Requirements: 18-22 Credit Hours

Foreign Language: 12-16 Credit Hours

Through 2020 level (1010, 1020, 2010, 2020) of one foreign language:

American Sign Language (ASL)*, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Latin, Spanish, or other foreign language.

*Note: all language classes above are 3 credit hours each, except for the ASL classes which are 4 credit hours each.

Methods of Inquiry: 6 Credit Hours

ED 4600 - Adolescent and Young Adult and Multi-Age Assessment and Measurement in Education Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 3000 - Critical Thinking Credit Hour(s): 3

IV. General Electives: 17-21 Credit Hours

Students must earn a minimum of 120 credit hours for a baccalaureate degree. If the total number of credit hours in the WSU Core (general education program) and the major requirements do not total at least 120 credits, students will choose additional courses (general electives) to meet the minimum required 120 credit hours. Students may choose from any undergraduate course in the Academic Catalog for which they meet the course prerequisites and for which they do not already have earned credit.

Students are encouraged to consider adding a minor, certificate, or microcredential.

Students intending to apply for licensure will, if admitted to candidacy, take the required courses in the Adolescent to Young Adult: Integrated Social Studies licensure sequence in the College of Health, Education, and Human Services in lieu of Electives.

Total: 120 Credit Hours

Graduation Planning Strategy

A Graduation Planning Strategy (GPS), also known as a four-year guide, is an academic tool showing one example of how a program can be completed in a certain amount of time. All Wright State undergraduate majors can be completed in four years with careful planning. Some programs may require summer coursework. Time to degree is dependent on many factors including student placement in mathematics and writing courses, CCP and AP coursework, transfer coursework, and other variables.

This GPS is valid for this year’s Academic Catalog only and is subject to change. This GPS is a recommendation only and your actual program may vary. Students should consult with their academic advisor on a regular basis and create a personalized plan to degree completion.

Social Science Education, BA (GPS)