Social Science Major

If you would like a career as a professional educator teaching social studies in a middle school or a high school, then the Social Science Major is the program for you. Social Science is an interdisciplinary major, the primary purpose of which is to provide licensure for students who wish to teach social studies at the secondary level (high school and middle school). In addition, there is a Non-Teaching Option to the Social Science Major for students who are unable to complete the Teaching Option. Students who complete the Non-Teaching Option will take a broader interdisciplinary program of courses in the social sciences.

The Social Science Major is administered by the Department of History. The major is an interdisciplinary program offering both Teaching (45 semester hours) and Non-Teaching (51 semester hours) options as part of either a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree.  Students wishing to be licensed to teach history, political science, geography, or economics must select the Teaching Option. The Non-Teaching Option allows students who may not be able to complete the requirements for a teaching license the opportunity to graduate in a timely fashion.  (Please note that the Non-Teaching Option is available only to those who have already been enrolled in the Social Science Teaching Option.  Students who wish to switch from the Teaching Option to the Non-Teaching Option must meet the following criterion: a minimum of 30 credit hours in the SOSC Teaching Option at Radford University prior to switching to the non-teaching program.)

Requirements for the Social Science Major (both options) are outlined below.

Radford University is fully accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), which is an alliance of national professional education and public organizations representing millions of Americans who support quality teaching. To obtain CAEP certification, an institution must go through a rigorous review of its teacher education programs to insure the quality of those programs.     

Requirements: Teaching Option

Required Core Courses

History (21 credits)

  • HIST 101, HIST 102, HIST 111, HIST 112
  • 9 credits at the 300 level.
    • 3 credits must come from EU or GL area courses.
    • 3 credits must come from US area courses.
    • 3 credits of African American History taken from HIST 330 or HIST 364. 

Political Science (12 credits)

  • POSC 120
  • 9 credits of Political Science at the 300 and 400 levels.
    • 6 credits must come from courses designated as American Government (AG). 
    • 3 credits any POSC course at the 300 or 400 level. 

Geography (6 credits)

  • 1 U.S. geography course., from a menu of selected courses. Please consult the undergraduate catalog for the menu of courses.
  • 1 non-U.S. geography course from a menu of selected courses. Please consult the undergraduate catalog for the menu of courses.

Economics  (6 credits)

  • ECON 105
  • ECON 106

Students wishing to receive a teaching licensure at the secondary education level must also complete all requirements as set forth by the College of Education and Human Development.

Requirements: Non-Teaching Option*

18 credits in History.

  • 6 credits in 100-level U.S. history. Students must choose two of the following:
    • HIST 111, HIST 112, HIST 160
  • 3 credits in 100-level Non-American History. Students must choose one of the following:
    • HIST 101, HIST 102, HIST 150
  • Nine credits in 300- to 400-level HIST. 
    • 3 credits must come from EU or GL area courses.
    • 3 credits must come from US area courses
    • 3 semester hours can come from the US, EU, or GL areas.

12 credits in Political Science.

  • 3 credits, POSC 120
  • 9 credits of Political Science at the 300 and 400 levels.

6  credits in Geography. 

  • 3 credits in U.S. Geography. Students must choose one of the following:
    • GEOG 101, GEOG 201, or GEOG 202
  • 3 credits in Non-U.S. Geography. Students must choose one of the following:
    • GEOG 102, or GEOG 280

3 credits in Economics.  Student must choose one of the following: 

  • ECON 105 or ECON 106.

6 credits of Social Science Electives.

  • In addition to the above history and political science requirements, Social Science Majors will select a concentration in either history, political science, geography, or economics. To complete this concentration, they will take six additional semester hours in the chosen field at the 300-400 level. If the concentration is in history, those courses must be divided between American (US) and Non-American (EU/GL) courses.

* Students may only enroll in the Non-Teaching Option if they have first been enrolled the Teaching Option and have earned at least 30 credit hours in the Teaching Option.