History Day

	Department of History 500 Main Hall West Chester, Pennsylvania 19383	(610)436-2201 http://www.wcupa.edu/

Post-Baccalaureate Social Studies Teacher Certification Program

Beginning Fall 2007, West Chester University reopens its post-baccalaureate program for secondary social studies teacher certification. Admission to this program will be competitive and limited to no more than five (5) post-baccalaureate students per semester. The program includes 33 credits in education (including student-teaching) and usually several survey-level social studies course required as part of our social studies core. This means that it is not unusual for students to take three to four semesters (or more) to complete the program.

The admissions criteria include:

A) prospective students must have a degree in one of the traditional content areas of social studies (anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology), with preference given to those who hold graduate or undergraduate degrees in Geography, History, or Political Science (the departments currently participating in the program).

B) prospective students must have completed at least 21 credit hours of upper division courses within their major, including a content-specific methodology course and a content-specific undergraduate seminar (which reflect our own degree requirements);

C) post-baccalaureate students must have an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 (which reflects the Pennsylvania Department of Education certification requirements);

D) prospective students must take and pass the PRAXIS I exam prior to their being admitted into the program. For more information on these tests, access the ETS website www.ets.org/praxis. If you have not already passed these tests, register to complete them, and review appropriate test preparation materials. Have your results sent to your undergraduate institution and to West Chester University (Score Recipient Code # 2659).

E) prospective students should also take the PRAXIS II (Social Studies: Content Knowledge--test code #10081) exam prior to their being admitted into the program . For more information on these tests, access the ETS website www.ets.org/praxis. The test covers six areas of social studies and includes content from survey and introductory courses in these fields. These courses are normally taken in the first and second year of undergraduate study, so some preparation and review may be necessary. This will help us advise you on additional social studies courses that you may need to take.

F) prospective students should have met (or will able to meet within their first semester of their program) the PDE math (6 credits), writing (3 credits) and literature (3 credits) requirements;

G) prospective students must also submit an essay, outlining their career plans and their reasons for wanting to become a social studies teacher (this will be evaluated by the admissions committee); and

G) priority will be given to students who have already completed all required core social studies courses (HIS 101, HIS 102, HIS 151, HIS 152, PSY 100, PSC 100, ECO 111 or 112, GEO 101 or 103, and SOC 200 or ANT 102).

The criteria for admission would be a combination of undergraduate (and, if appropriate, graduate) GPA, PRAXIS II scores, the quality of an essay that explains the student’s reasons for wanting to become a secondary social studies teacher, and number of credits needed to complete the program. Evaluation of these materials would occur each semester by a committee consisting of a designated representative from the Departments of Geography, History, Professional and Secondary Education, and Political Science, as well as the Office of Graduate Studies and Extended Education and the social studies coordinator (who would serve as chair). The goal would be to admit students who will be able to complete the program quickly and with the fewest potential problems and who are likely to be the strongest candidates for teaching positions upon the completion of the program. For more information, contact Dr. Wayne Hanley, the coordinator of the secondary social studies program.

Department Home Page