Prerequisites
Content Domains
Prior to admission, all applicants must demonstrate competency in one or more of the following areas through coursework or other experiences. For more information, see below under Certification Areas.
Certification Areas
Broad Field Social Studies
If you have a degree in at least one certification area and fulfill the content requirements for three or more additional certification areas, you would qualify for a Broad Field Social Studies certification.
Please review this document for a detailed list of content knowledge required to qualify for certification in one of the following content areas.
Economics
Certification in economics enables one to teach economics courses at the high school level (grades 9-12), including advanced and AP courses. The required content background includes knowledge in the following areas:
- Major ideas, schools of thought, and concepts of economics as a discipline
- Microeconomics
- Macroeconomics
- American economic systems
- International economics
- Money and banking
- Research methodologies of economics
Geography
Certification in geography enables one to teach geography courses at the high school level (grades 9-12), including advanced and AP courses. The required content background includes knowledge of the following:
- Physical geography
- Social geography
- Natural environment / ecology
- Historical geography
- Map skills
- Research methods of geography
History
Certification in history enables one to teach history courses at the high school level (grades 9-12), including advanced and AP courses. The required content background includes knowledge in the following areas and an understanding of how they relate to current issues, situations, and events in the world:
- Major historical ideas and concepts, such as economic determinism, nationalism, and imperialism
- US history; Non-Western, Western and world history; Ancient History
- Historical research methods
Political Science
Certification in this area enables one to teach political science and government courses at the high school level (grades 9-12), including advanced and AP courses. The required content background includes knowledge in the following areas:
- Major principles and concepts of the discipline such as political systems and their legitimacy, the nature of law, and the roles of citizens
- Forms and structures of political systems
- International politics
- American politics
- Political ideologies
Psychology*
Certification in this area enables one to teach psychology courses at the high school level (grades 9-12), including advanced and AP courses. The required content background includes knowledge in the following areas:
- Social psychology
- Personal psychology
- Human behavior and development
- Research methods of psychology
*Must be paired with another certification area
Sociology
Certification in sociology enables one to teach sociology courses at the high school level (grades 9-12), including advanced and AP courses. The required content background includes knowledge in the following areas:
- Major ideas, schools of thought, and concepts of sociology such as intergroup relations and functions of social class
- Applications of sociology to understanding contemporary societies including how race, gender, age, and other human factors influence social interactions and social conditions
- Applications of sociology to understanding contemporary societies including how institutions such as religion, education, and entertainment influence social conditions
- Research methods of sociology