Teaching: Social Studies

The MAT program consists of 44 credits, distributed among the areas listed below. Unless otherwise noted, each course is three credits. All degree requirements must be completed within five (5) years from the semester date of admission as a matriculated student.

HISTORY - 15 credits

• CEG 523/HIS 500 Historiography (required)

Plus 12 credits selected from the following courses:

• CEG 516 Early Modern Europe Seminar
• CEG 517 Modern Latin America
• CEG 522 US History since the Civil War
• CEG 524 Late Modern Europe Seminar
• CEG 532 US History and Civil War Seminar (formerly US History to Civil War)
• CEG 534 Modern African/Asian History Seminar (formerly Topics Seminar: Africa or Topics Seminar: Asia)
• CEG 535 Colinial Latin America
• CEG 538 United States History since 1945
• CEG 539 American Constitutional History
• CEG 555 Gender in Modern Global History
• CEG 561 The Role of Human Geography in History
• CEG 563 Introduction to South Asia
• CEG 565 Introduction to Japanese History
• CEG 566  Comparative Cultures of Slavery in the Atlantic World
• CEG 567  Native American History

Course offerings are subject to available faculty and may not be offered during every academic year. Additional course offerings not listed here may be offered as well.)

Professional Studies in Education - 23 credits

• CEE 505 Education: Theory and Practice
• CEE 565 Human Development (formerly PSY 595)
• CEE 594 Language Acquisition and Literacy Development (formerly LIN 544)
• CEE 577 Teaching Social Studies (corequisite CEF 548)
• CEE 578 Social Studies Strategies (prerequisite CEE 577; corequisite CEF 549)
• CEE 580 Student Teaching Seminar (prerequisites CEE 577,
• CEE 578, CEF 548 & CEF 549; corequisites CEQ 581 & 582)
• CEF 547 Principles and Practices of Special Education
• CEF 548 Field Experience I — Grades 7-9 (one-credit; corequisite CEE 577)
• CEF 549 Field Experience II — Grades 10-12 (one-credit; corequisite CEE 578)

Supervised Student Teaching - 6 credits

• CEQ 581 Supervised Student Teaching High School Grades 10-12: Social Studies (prerequisites CEE 577, CEE 578, CEF 548 & CEF 549; corequisites CEE 580 & CEQ 582)
• CEQ 582 Supervised Student Teaching Middle School Grades 7-9: Social Studies (prerequisites CEE 577, CEE 578, CEF 548 & CEF 549; corequisites CEE 580 & CEQ 581)

Written Project

Students will be required to complete a Teacher Work Sample during Supervised Student Teaching.

Course Requirements for Certification Recommendation

Students in the MAT program must also satisfy the following required areas of study. These requirements may be met by either the graduate courses taken towards the MAT degree or by undergraduate coursework taken prior to or after commencement of graduate study. Equivalent undergraduate courses will normally be accepted. In addition, a cluster of undergraduate courses may be accepted as evidence of satisfaction of individual standards. Undergraduate transcripts will be evaluated on an individual basis. However, the student will bear the burden of proof showing that such coursework does provide a broad introductory knowledge of each of the individual areas of study below.

1. US History to Civil War
2. US History since Civil War
3. Western Civilization or European history survey
4. Latin America – survey of the history or politics of the region or one of the major countries of the region
5. Asia - survey of the history or politics of the region or one of the major countries of the region
6. Africa - survey of the history or politics of the region or one of the major countries of the region
7. Principles of Economics
8. Human Geography
9. The Culture Concept in Theory or History. May be satisfied by courses in cultural anthropology or by courses dealing with cultural differences and cultural conflicts in the contemporary world.
10. American Government and Politics
11. Science, Technology and Society (required of undergraduate BA/MAT students only)

Note: The program does not offer graduate courses that satisfy the requirement for area 7. The requirement will have to be satisfied through an undergraduate course.

All students must achieve a minimum grade of B in both pedagogy courses and graduate history courses.

MAT Admissions

To be considered for admission to the program, applicants must have either an undergraduate degree in history or a degree in one of the social sciences with a history minor (18 credits). Prospective applicants who do not meet these requirements will be considered for admission. However, they must complete a supplementary course of study equivalent to a Stony Brook major in history before a decision can be made on their applications.

• An undergraduate degree in history or one of the social sciences (excluding psychology, linguistics, criminal justice, and communications) with an 18-credit history minor.
• A minimum GPA of 3.00 (both overall and in the major).
• A completed application and three letters of recommendation including letters from instructors in undergraduate courses.

This program allows qualified students to earn both a BA and an MAT in social studies education in five years, which is one semester less than it would take if the programs were to be completed separately.  The program is open to history majors with a 3.4 GPA or higher, but students are admitted to the program on a competitive basis.  

Beginning in the first semester of the junior year, students in the combined program will follow a different course of study than students in the undergraduate social studies program.  Therefore, students must apply to the BA/MAT program in the second semester of the sophomore year so that a decision can be made in time to allow students to enroll in the proper courses for the following semester.  Transfer students who are interested in applying to the program should contact the program director and complete an application as soon as they are notified of their acceptance to Stony Brook.

Students in the combined program should complete all of the requirements for the major, SBC requirements and all of the social studies distribution requirements before beginning graduate study.  Students must complete the required courses at the level (undergraduate/graduate) as described below.  Courses taken at the wrong level can not be counted towards the degree.  All undergraduate courses must be passed with a C or better and graduate courses with a B.  To be admitted to student teaching, students must have at least a 3.0 GPA and have completed all other requirements for graduation.  Students must earn at least 111 undergraduate credits, and both the BA and the MAT will be awarded at the completion of the combined program.

Students who do not perform satisfactorily in the first graduate history courses may not be permitted to continue in the program. Students who either decide not to continue for the MAT or who are not allowed to do so will be able to graduate with a BA at the end of four years.  Please note that, if you do not complete the combined program, only two (2) graduate courses can be counted towards the undergraduate degree.

BA/MAT Program Requirements

The methods courses must be taken sequentially, and students must earn a B or better in these two courses in order to remain in good standing and progress to the next course in the sequence.  The field experience courses must be taken concurrently with the methods courses, and students will be required to repeat both courses if requirements for either course are not met. 

Undergraduate Academic Plan Graduate Academic Program Maximum # of Shared Credit Allotment UG & Grad Degrees Awarded TEACH Recommendation B.A. in History with Teacher Preparation Option MAT in Social Studies 9 Concurrently After MAT is awarded
Professional Studies in Education PSY 327 Human Development SSE 350 Foundations of Education CEE 594 Language Acquisition and Literacy Development CEF 347 Special Education (BA/MAT students may also take CEF 547) CEE 577 Teaching Social Studies (corequisite CEF 548). Fall only CEF 548 Field Experience I (1 credit, S/U, must be taken concurrently with CEE 577) CEE 578 Social Studies Strategies (corequisite CEF 549). Spring only CEF 549 Field Experience II (1 credit, S/U, must be taken concurrently with CEE 578) CEE 580 Student Teaching Seminar (corequisites CEQ 581 and 581) CEQ 581 Supervised Student Teaching – Grades 7-9 (S/U) CEQ 582 Supervised Student Teaching – Grades 10-12 S/U)  Note: BA/MAT students may wish to enroll in SSE 400 a zero-credit course that provides the opportunity to achieve the learning outcomes of the Stony Brook Curriculum's CER, EXP+, and SPK learning objectives. Consult with the Program Director to discuss. Other Program and Licensing Requirements All students are required to pass a culminating interview before being accepted for student teaching. The interview will cover content knowledge, pedagogy, and dispositions. The interview can be repeated, though remedial work may be required. Foreign Language Requirement Students must complete one year of college-level foreign language study. This requirement may be met by passing two semesters of a foreign language with a C or better or by earning an appropriate score on one of the alternate tests. More information can be found at: http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/llrc/placement_exams/about. Sign language will be accepted in satisfaction of this language requirement. For initial certification, students must pass the EAS and the CST exams and complete seminars in child abuse, bullying, violence prevention, and substance abuse; the substance abuse workshop is also required for graduation. To obtain a NY teaching license, an individual must either be a US citizen or a legal resident. Content Area Requirements Students are expected to complete all of the requirements for the undergraduate history major with the exception that three graduate history courses may be counted towards the undergraduate degree.  Students in the combined program are expected to satisfy the required areas of study, as well as HIS 301 and HIS 400, before beginning graduate history coursework. Students must complete a minimum of 42 undergraduate credits in history and the social sciences.  Transfer courses will be evaluated individually by the program director. Note: Students admitted to the BA/MAT program will be classified as graduate students as of the beginning of the semester in which the 15th graduate credit will be completed. In most instances, this will be at the beginning of the 8th semester.  At this point, students will also have to pay graduate tuition and eligibility for undergraduate financial aid and housing may be affected.  For more information on these matters, please contact SPD or the responsible office. Registration for Graduate Courses Until students have advanced to graduate status, it will be necessary to obtain permission in order to register for graduate courses. Download the permission form from the SPD website, complete it, and bring it to the Program Director for signature. Content Area Requirements (consult with the Program Director for substituting courses other than those listed below) US History to 1877 HIS 103 US History to 1877 US History since 1877 HIS 104 US History since 1877 Human or Cultural Geography HIS 281 Global History & Geography Principles of Economics SSE 100 Economics for Soc. St. Teachers  Courses in accounting, finance or personal economics do not satisfy this requirement. Western Civ or European History Survey (choose 1) HIS 101 Europe to 1789 HIS 102 Europe since 1789 Latin America (choose 1) HIS 213 Colonial Latin America HIS 214 Modern Latin America or LAC 200 Intro. Latin America/Carib. History, Soc. & Culture SOC 364 Sociology of Latin America Asia & its Civilizations (choose 1) HIS 105 The Ancient World HIS 219 Chinese History and Civ. HIS 220 Japanese History and Civ. HIS 227 Islamic Civilization HIS 341 20th-Century China HIS 344 Modern Japan HIS 347 S. Asia before Colonialism HIS 348Colonial South Asia Africa (choose 1) HIS 221 Modern Africa1 HIS 346 Pol. & Soc. History Africa Note: Courses in world history may be used to satisfy one of the areas 6-8 if they address the history of that region in a substantive way. Science, Technology & Society (choose 1) ANT 290 Science & Technology in Ancient Society HIS 237 Science, Technology & Medicine in Western Civ I HIS 238 Science, Technology & Medicine in Western Civ II SOC 315 Sociology of Technology EST 201 Technology Trends in Society American Politics & Government (choose 1) POL 102 American Government POL 320 Constitutional Law and Politics POL 325 Civil Liberties & Civil Rights The Culture Concept in Theory or History (choose 1) AFS 310 US Attitudes towards Race AFS 325 Civil Rights Movement ANT 102 Intro. Cultural Anthropology ANT 230 Peoples of the World ANT 351 Comparative Religion ANT 370 Great Archaeo. Discoveries HIS 390 Comparative Religion SOC 310 Ethnic and Race Relations Graduate Coursework        Students must complete seven graduate history (CEG) courses.  Students may also register for 500-level HIS courses with the permission of the instructor. CEG 523 Historiography (required) Six electives chosen from the following*: CEG 516 Early Modern Europe CEG 517 Modern Latin America CEG 522 US History since Civil War CEG 524 Late Modern Europe CEG 532 US History to Civil War CEG 534 Modern African/Asian History Seminar (formerly Topics Seminar: Africa or Topics Seminar: Asia) CEG 535 Colonial Latin America CEG 538 United States History Since 1945 CEG 539 American Constitutional History CEG 561 The Role of Human Geography in History CEG 563 Introduction to South Asia CEG 565 Introduction to Japanese History CEG 566 Comparative Cultures of Slavery in the Atlantic World CEG 567 Native American History Course offerings are subject to available faculty and may not be offered during every academic year. Additional course offerings not listed here may be offered as well. Consult with the Program Director to determine applicability.  Note:Courses in world history may be used to satisfy one of the areas 6-8 if they address the history of that region in a substantive way.  Written Project Students will be required to complete a Teacher Work Sample during Supervised Student Teaching. BA/MAT Admissions Students must apply and be admitted to a combined degree program. The minimum requirements to apply include completion of at least 60 credits of college coursework and a grade point average of 3.4 or higher as an undergraduate student. All applications require approval from the undergraduate department, the corresponding Graduate Program Director and the University Teacher Certification Officer. This program allows qualified students to earn both a BA in History and an MAT in social studies education in five years, which is one semester less than it would take if the programs were to be completed separately. The program is open to history majors with a 3.4 GPA or higher, but students are admitted to the program on a competitive basis. Beginning in the first semester of the junior year, students in the combined program will follow a different course of study than students in the undergraduate social studies program. Therefore, students must apply to the BA/MAT program in the second semester of the sophomore year so that a decision can be made in time to allow students to enroll in the proper courses for the following semester. Transfer students who are interested in applying to the program should contact the program director and complete an application as soon as they are notified of their acceptance to Stony Brook.

Additional Requirements for Certification

In addition to the stated course and program requirements listed in this section, New York State also has workshop, fingerprinting and other requirements for certification, which can be found in this Bulletin.

Workshops and Fingerprinting

To be certified in New York State, candidates must take a selection of workshops  and must be fingerprinted. For descriptions and registration links, visit Certification and Licensing Workshops.

Language Requirement

New York State certification requires at least one year (6 credits) of college-level study of a foreign language. Satisfaction of SBU’s SBC LANG fulfills the foreign language requirement.

General Science Certification

In order to qualify for the General Science (grade 7 – 12) certification, candidates must complete a minimum of 18 semester hours in two or more sciences other than physics.

Middle-Level Extension

Candidates who wish to qualify to teach grades 5 and 6 in a middle school setting may obtain an extension to their grades 7-12 certification by completing two additional courses, prior to graduation. The courses are: CEE 601 Early Adolescent Development and CEE 602 Middle Child Education-Instruction. Information about these courses can be found on the SPD website (www.stonybrook.edu/spd).