Social Studies Teacher Education

Types of Degrees Social Studies Teacher Education Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many social studies education graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	1,440
Master’s Degree	445
Graduate Certificate	44
Basic Certificate	13
Associate Degree	10
Doctor’s Degree	2
Undergraduate Certificate	1

What Social Studies Teacher Education Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, social studies teacher education majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Social Studies Teacher Education Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Social Studies Teacher Education Majors

When studying social studies teacher education, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Abilities for Social Studies Teacher Education Majors

As you progress with your social studies teacher education degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Social Studies Teacher Education Major?

People with a social studies teacher education degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Professors	10.4%	$74,440
Education Professors	10.3%	$64,780
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$58,600
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education	7.5%	$60,320

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Studies Teacher Education?

This major tends to be male dominated. About 59% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of social studies teacher education majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	32
Black or African American	37
Hispanic or Latino	99
White	1,173
International Students	12
Other Races/Ethnicities	87

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Social Studies Teacher Education. About 0.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Social Studies Teacher Education

Some degrees associated with social studies teacher education may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for social studies teacher education careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	1.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	31.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	7.7%
Master’s Degree	21.1%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.6%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.3%
Doctoral Degree	34.1%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.2%

Online Social Studies Teacher Education Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	3	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	4	0
Bachelor’s Degree	25	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	80	7
Post-Master’s	10	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Social Studies Teacher Education

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to social studies teacher education.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Education Teaching & Coaching	6,901
Reading Teacher Education	5,922
Music Education	4,649
Mathematics Education	3,159
English & Language Arts Education	3,104
Other Teacher Education & Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	2,398
Art Education	1,711
Health Education	1,536
Science Education	1,133
Agricultural Teacher Education	1,132
History Education	834
Trade & Industrial Teacher Education	778
Biology Education	773
Social Science Teacher Education	503
Technology Education	464
School Librarian/School Library Media Specialist	401
Spanish Education	373
Modern Language Education	349
Technical Teacher Education	307
Computer Teacher Education	291
Family & Consumer Sciences/Home Economics Teacher Education	253
Chemistry Education	225
Drama & Dance Education	223
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	153
Earth Science Teacher Education	114
Physics Education	113
Environmental Education	96
Health Occupations Teacher Education	74
Speech Teacher Education	65
Driver & Safety Teacher Education	49
French Language Teacher Education	25
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	9
German Language Teacher Education	8
Distributive Education	7
Latin Teacher Education	6
Psychology Teacher Education	6
Geography Teacher Education	2

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Aparajita Datta under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.