Bachelor’s degree in Social Science with Integrated Social Studies (Adolescent-to-Young Adult) Licensure
Turn your interest in history, government, economics, or geography into a career teaching middle and high school. This program gives you both a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and Ohio licensure to teach Integrated Social Studies in grades 7-12.
Program Overview
With a Bachelor’s degree in Adolescent-to-Young Adult Education of Integrated Social Studies, you will be prepared to teach Social Sciences and History core coursework. Through cooperation of the Department of Social Studies and School of Education, you’ll be prepared to teach students in grades 7-12.
In your coursework, you’ll be able to balance your studies between core Social Studies courses and professional preparation courses in the School of Education – ensuring you are ready to deliver coursework in the classroom effectively.
Combining clinical experiences with classroom learning, you’ll earn the credentials needed to site for Ohio licensure exams. Additional field experience will prepare you to apply your coursework under the supervision of experienced teachers.
Balancing your coursework in education and social studies, you’ll be able to enter your first classroom with high confidence and be equipped to meet the demands of teaching in grades 7-12.
Career Outcomes
How to Apply
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Start your application
Free, takes about 15 minutes.
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Send transcripts
Have your high school guidance counselor send them to admissions@shawnee.edu
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File the FAFSA
School code 009942. Required for Free Tuition.
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Get your decision
Most decisions in under 7 days.
At A Glance
Bachelor’s degree in Social Science with Integrated Social Studies (Adolescent-to-Young Adult) Licensure
Degree
B.A.
Format
On Campus
Length
4 years (full-time)
Credits
122
Why Study Bachelor’s degree in Social Science with Integrated Social Studies (Adolescent-to-Young Adult) Licensure at Shawnee University
Two credentials, one program. You graduate with a BA in Social Science and an Ohio AYA license to teach Integrated Social Studies in grades 7-12.
Deep content, not just methods. You'll work through history, geography, government, civics, economics, sociology, anthropology, and political theory - more than just a teaching certificate.
700+ hours of classroom time. Field placements start in your first year and build through to a full student-teaching semester in a grades 7-12 classroom.
Faculty with feet in both worlds. You'll learn from instructors who know both the social sciences and the K-12 classroom.
Reciprocity friendly. The Ohio AYA license travels - many other states honor it through reciprocity, so you can teach where you want to be.
The 122-credit degree pairs a broad social science core with secondary education methods coursework and a full student-teaching semester.
- General Education Program (40 credits)
- First Year Experience (1 credit): University Foundations
- Social Studies Core (42 credits): cultural anthropology, micro- and macroeconomics, world and cultural geography, national government, political theory, constitutional law, U.S. history, world history, sociology, foundations of social science
- Social Studies Electives (6 credits): choose from courses like Geography of North America, Ancient History, East Asian History, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Appalachian Studies, Sociology of the Family
- Professional Education Core (12 credits): exceptional learning needs, educational media and technology, cultural diversity, curriculum and assessment
- Adolescent to Young Adult Education Core (21 credits): foundations of secondary education, two capstones, secondary curriculum and management, directed teaching and seminar, teaching social studies 7-12
- Related Studies (9 credits): intro to psychology, child and adolescent psychology, educational psychology
Hands-on classroom experience starts in your first education course. Placements grow more complex each semester and culminate in Directed Teaching and Seminar - a full semester in a grades 7-12 classroom where you plan lessons, manage instruction, and work with a mentor teacher and university supervisor.
- Demonstrate deep understanding of history, government, economics, and geography
- Create engaging, inclusive, and standards-aligned lesson plans
- Manage classroom instruction for diverse adolescent learners
- Guide students in critical thinking about past and present social issues
- Meet the requirements for Ohio licensure in Integrated Social Studies (Grades 7-12)
On campus at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. Field experience and student teaching happen in partner schools in the region.
- Grades 7-12 social studies teacher (history, government, economics, geography)
- Middle or high school humanities educator
- Private school history or social science instructor
- Curriculum and instructional roles in social studies
- Graduate study in history, education, public policy, or law
Graduates teach social studies in middle and high schools across Ohio, with many other states offering license reciprocity. Some go on to graduate study or into related fields like public policy, museum education, or nonprofit work.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Shawnee State’s tuition is among the lowest in Ohio, and the Shawnee Advantage Tuition Guarantee keeps your rate flat for four years. Scholarships including Choose Ohio First and the Pell-Eligible Free Tuition Program may also apply.
Bachelor’s degree in Social Science with Integrated Social Studies (Adolescent-to-Young Adult) Licensure Frequently Asked Questions
This degree gives you both a BA in Social Science and Ohio licensure to teach Integrated Social Studies in grades 7-12. A general education studies degree (BSE) is non-licensure.
No. Integrated Social Studies licensure prepares you to teach across history, government, economics, geography, and more.
In your first year. Clinical hours are built into every semester and increase in responsibility each year.
Yes, in most states. Ohio's license has reciprocity in many states, but check the licensure board where you plan to teach for specifics.
Program handbook
Contact the program coordinator (pmadden@shawnee.edu or (740) 351-3547) for the current Integrated Social Studies handbook. Course descriptions and degree requirements are in the Academic Catalog.
Accreditation
Contact the program coordinator (pmadden@shawnee.edu or (740) 351-3547) for the current Integrated Social Studies handbook. Course descriptions and degree requirements are in the Academic Catalog.
