History/Secondary Education

Bachelor of Arts 

The history/secondary education option is designed to provide in-depth training in history for those seeking careers as high school history teachers. Students are expected to fulfill all the requirements of the history concentration and to follow a program of courses established by the Department of Education for secondary teacher preparation. The combination of history and education courses meets the requirements for certification of history teachers in the state of Rhode Island and most other states.

History/secondary education majors are required to complete 30 credits in history. These shall normally be fulfilled by completing nine credits each in United States and European history, and 12 from department electives, at least six of which should be in non-Western history.  Thirty-one credits in education also are required.

History/secondary education majors should be aware that, in preparation for social studies endorsement in Rhode Island, they need to take two courses within the same field of another social science (anthropology, sociology, economics, geography, or political science) in addition to their history courses.

Necessary adjustments and appropriate substitutions for departmental requirements may be made in accordance with approved department policy and with the permission of the chairperson of the department. See section on “Advanced Placement Policy” below.

Advanced Placement Policy

For History Majors

History majors with an Advanced Placement grade of “5” on the A.P. U.S. and/or European History exam(s) will be given a one-course reduction in the required courses for the specific area(s) and will be given flexibility in choosing the remaining two courses (i.e., any two courses for the particular area). For instance, a major with a grade of “5” in U.S. History would be required to take only two courses in U.S. history and may choose any two U.S. history courses for those required courses. History majors with an Advanced Placement grade of “5” on the World History exam will be given a one-course reduction in the number of required electives for the major. Thus a major with a “5” in World History would be required to complete only three electives in history.

A limit of two A.P. scores of “5” will be recognized by the department for reduction of the total number of courses in the major.

History majors with an Advanced Placement grade of “4” on the A.P. U.S. and/or European History exam(s) will be given flexibility in choosing any three courses for U.S. and/or European History. For such students, the required number of history credits to be earned for the major would remain at 30.