Social Studies Education, History/Social Science Concentration, M.A.

Master of Arts in Social Studies Education (M.A.)

Director: Scott C. Billingsley

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Social Studies Education program has two concentrations. The Licensure concentration is designed for experienced teachers who wish to increase their own knowledge, enhance social studies instruction for their students, and exercise professional leadership in social studies curriculum development within secondary schools. It builds upon and extends the multiple goals of UNC Pembroke’s undergraduate social studies education program. The history and social science requirements are carefully structured to provide breadth of coverage and self-selected areas of concentration. The History/Social Science concentration is designed for students who do not hold or seek North Carolina teacher licensure but wish to pursue graduate study in history, enhanced by work in related social science fields.

The Master of Arts in Social Studies Education program will enable students to

1. Strengthen their history and social science knowledge base and analytical skills.
2. Enhance their understanding of the structure and methods of the individual academic disciplines and, therefore, their ability to make the material interesting and comprehensible to their students.
3. Become familiar with recent curriculum reform initiatives which have particular relevance for social studies teachers, including the essential thematic strands identified by the National Council for the Social Studies and the national standards developed for each content area.
4. Integrate recent scholarship and professional trends with their own classroom experiences.
5. Evaluate available technology resources (hardware and software) and determine their suitability for instructional purposes.
6. Assume professional leadership roles in curriculum development, instructional planning, and advocacy for social studies as an essential component of K-12 education.

Students will complete a capstone product of learning and, with the guidance of a project committee from the relevant academic discipline(s), prepare a professional presentation for colleagues prior to graduation.

Program-Specific Admissions Standards

• Current SSE licensure;
• A letter of application describing what the applicant hopes to gain from the program and, in light of her or his current philosophy of social studies education, how the applicant assumes the program will affect classroom practices.
• [Non-licensure degree candidates will be required to sign a waiver of licensure statement and will be exempted from the two-year teaching experience stipulation. They will not be expected to submit a recommendation from a school administrator.]

Requirements for a Master of Arts in Social Studies Education:

Total: 36 Sem. Hrs.

Note: For course descriptions, see listings in the following graduate degree programs: ^*M.A.Ed., ^**MBA