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Social Studies Teacher Education Program

Students wishing to enroll in the Social Studies Teacher Education Program must major in one of the following subjects: History, Africana Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, or Sociology. The program has a large number of diverse requirements in fields ranging from history to economics to political science.

Undergraduates should consult with a program advisor as early as possible to ensure the timely completion of the major, teacher education, and DEC requirements and to help design a strong, coherent course of study.

Applicants to the MAT program must have an undergraduate major in one of the above majors or a small number of other, closely related fields. Individuals who have been accepted to the MAT program should meet with the History MAT coordinator and a Social Studies Education Program advisor as soon as possible after receiving an offer of admission. Most program requirements can be satisfied through courses taken at either the undergraduate or the graduate level, and it is often advantageous for new admits to satisfy some program requirements before officially matriculating into the program.

Students should also contact the Social Studies Teacher Education Program Director about our five year accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Programs.

The program prepares undergraduate and graduate students to become secondary school social studies teachers (grades 7-12) in New York State. The program requires completion of an approved major in one of the social science departments or interdisciplinary programs, and completion of a specified distribution of courses of particular relevance to the secondary school social studies curriculum. In addition, students must complete a required sequence of professional study in education courses and supervised student teaching at the secondary school level.

This program provides graduates with the intellectual rigor of an academic major as well as a valuable professional credential that qualifies them to teach in New York State and many other states of the country. Stony Brook students preparing for teacher certification take their courses with the same faculty who teach undergraduate and graduate students in the academic departments and interdisciplinary programs and have the same opportunity for contact with renowned professors in the field.

Clinical placements for Stony Brook students are available in an interesting cross section of cooperating school districts that draw upon school populations with a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds, including culturally diverse students, students with disabilities, and gifted and talented students. Many schools are engaged in innovative and experimental programs in education. 

Alumni of the program have secured positions as educators in New York State, across the nation, and abroad. They constitute a large cohort of educators who play formative roles as teachers and administrators on Long Island and the metropolitan New York region.



Contact Information 

Charles Backfish 
Acting Director of Social Studies Teacher Preparation Program
Email: charles.backfish@stonybrook.edu 

Master of Art in Teaching: Social Studies
School of Professional Development
Stony Brook, NY 11794

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