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Major Requirements and Teacher Certification Programs
Major Requirements
The history major consists of a minimum of 36 credits, and a maximum of 54 credits. We do not have any formal specialties within the major, although you may cluster electives according to your interests (examples: Asian history, women’s history, US history, military history).
The regular history major is the one you take if you: a) are not seeking teaching certification or b) are in the early childhood or childhood teaching certification programs. (Note: teaching certification programs require separate application and require the completion of a four-semester sequence of courses in both The Department of Education and Human Development and other departments. See the checklists posted outside Teri’s office.)
Core Requirements (21 credits)
- HST 101: Ancient World and HST 102: Modern World
- HST 211: Early America and HST 212: Modern America
- An upper-level course in European History (choose from HST 336: Medieval, HST 346: Renaissance and Reformation, HST 337: Early Modern, 1550-1800, HST 347: Europe’s Long Nineteenth Century, 1789-1914, HST 349: Twentieth-Century Europe, or HST 359: European Women). If you took HST 221 or HST 300 you’re okay.
- HST 390: The History Seminar
- One 300 or 400-level course in African, Asian, Latin American, or Middle Eastern History (choose from 341, 361, 363, 375, 376, 387, 388, 389,438, 460, 434, 467) Electives (15 credits)
- At least two of the five elective courses must be at the 400 level. For students who declared the major in fall 2003 or later, one 400-level course must be designated research-intensive. Some 400-level courses will be research-intensive every time they are offered, but others will be research-intensive depending on semester and instructor.
- Any other three history electives (we accept several AAS courses, including AAS 215: Caribbean History, as electives in the history major)
- Only one elective can be at the lower level (100 or 200)
Childhood and Early Childhood Education Certification Requirements
There are a series of Cognate Courses in various departments that you must take to complete certification, as well as a four-semester sequence of professional courses in education. This adds up to a significant number of credit hours. To plan carefully, see the complete checklists outside Teri’s door, aim to satisfy some requirements through general education choices, and note those professional sequence courses that you can take prior to applying to the certification programs. HST 422 can be taken as a major elective and substituted for EDI 430 as long as you get at least C+.
The Adolescent Social Studies Certification Major
This is the major that you take if you are accepted into the Adolescent Social Studies Certification program. If you plan to apply to this program, you will want to make specific General Education and history elective choices prior to application and acceptance. You will be expected to have complete Phase I of the four-semester education sequence prior to acceptance into the program, so that upon acceptance you are ready to start Phase II. Note that the certification program requires a separate application. (See the checklist handout outside Teri’s door for a listing of courses in the professional sequence.)
Core Requirements (18 credits)- 101, 102, 211, 212, 390, European history (choose from HST 336: Medieval, HST 346: Renaissance and Reformation, HST 337: Early Modern, 1550-1800, HST 347: Europe’s Long Nineteenth Century, 1789-1914, HST 349: Twentieth-Century Europe, or HST 359: European Women). If you took HST 221 or HST 300 you’re okay.
- One course in Asian history (HST 361, 487, 388, 389)
- One course in Latin American history (HST 375, 376, or 438 by advisement)
- One course in African or Middle Eastern history (AAS 320, HST 341, HST 460)
- Two courses in advanced American history (either HST 420 or 421, and one of 411, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, or other approved 400-level US history course)
- Advanced Social Studies Methods (HST/EDI 468, included in Phase III of education courses) Note that if you take HST 422 it will count toward your major and will also substitute for EDI 430.
Social Science Distribution
You may be able to knock off a couple of these courses as part of your General Education requirements. Thus, if you are not accepted into the Adolescent Certification program, the courses will still count for General Education.
- A course on Native Americans (ANT 301 or HST 310), or a course on African- American history or society, or SOC 210
- Economics (ECN 100 or 202)
- Geography (ESC 102)
- Political science (PLS 113)
Applying For Teacher Certification Programs
Teaching is just one career of many that you can pursue with your history degree. Please see the Career Planning section of this handbook for information about other options. If teaching is your goal, here’s what you need to know about teacher certification at SUNY Brockport:
- Education is not an undergraduate major at SUNY Brockport; it is a certification program. A history major is one of several majors that can accompany early childhood or childhood certification. A history major is the only major that can accompany adolescent certification in social studies.
- Application deadlines for all teacher certification programs are mid-September and mid-February. If accepted in the fall, you will begin education courses in the spring. If accepted in the spring, you will begin education courses the following fall. Generally people apply in the spring of their sophomore year, once they have completed most General Education requirements and the lower-level core history major requirements. Check the Department of Education and Human Development for specific admission requirements. You can get the application packets from the Department of Education and Human Development in 246 FOB – we recommend that you do so well ahead of the deadline. The history department will send a departmental recommendation form to the education department, but in addition you will need two individual recommendation letters from professors (at least one of which must be from a history professor), and one from someone who has supervised you working with children in the age group that you wish to teach. You will need at least 40 hours of supervised work at the time of application - it can take the form of coaching, summer camp work, classroom observation, etc. You will also need to write a statement of purpose and pay a small application fee.
- There are courses in the professional sequence for certification that you can and should take prior to being accepted into the program - HLS 301 (all certification programs), PSH 384 (early childhood and childhood certification programs), PSH 484 (adolescent certification program) and EDI 325 (early childhood and childhood certification programs). Most are part of Phase I listed on the education certification checklist handouts outside Teri’s door. If accepted into a certification program, you should be ready to start Phase II.
- If accepted into a teacher certification program, you will be notified by official letter from The Department of Education and Human Development. You MUST then attend an orientation meeting where you will meet your education advisor and sign a plan of study. IF YOU DO NOT SIGN A PLAN OF STUDY, YOU WILL LOSE YOUR PLACE IN THE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM.
