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Social studies teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a social studies teacher. Social studies teachers usually study history, elementary education, or education. 69% of social studies teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 13,628 real social studies teacher resumes to see exactly what social studies teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for social studies teachers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online social studies teacher courses to help get the education required to be a social studies teacher.
There are certain social studies teacher certifications that you should consider. These social studies teacher certifications include Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) and Certified Secondary Culinary Educator (CSCE).
What education do you need to become a social studies teacher?
What degree do you need to be a social studies teacher?
- Bachelor's, 69%
- Master's, 24%
- Associate, 3%
- Doctorate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a social studies teacher?
- History, 19%
- Elementary Education, 15%
- Education, 14%
- Other Majors, 44%
Most common colleges for social studies teachers
| Social studies teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 8.54% |
| New York University | 6.33% |
| Florida State University | 6.33% |
| Florida International University | 6.01% |
| University of Florida | 5.06% |
Best majors for social studies teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | History | 19.1% |
| 2 | Elementary Education | 14.5% |
| 3 | Education | 14.2% |
| 4 | Political Science | 8.1% |
| 5 | Secondary Education And Teaching | 7.7% |
Best colleges for social studies teachers
The best colleges for social studies teachers are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A social studies teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for social studies teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become social studies teachers.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
10. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
20 best online courses for social studies teachers
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Ever wonder why people do what they do? This course—which includes more than $1,000 of video and reading materials—offers some answers based on the latest research from social psychology. Students taking the course for a Certificate will also receive free membership in Social Psychology Network (SocialPsychology.org). COURSE DESCRIPTION FROM PROFESSOR PLOUS: Each of us is dealt a different hand in life, but we all face similar questions when it comes to human behavior: What leads us to like one...
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12. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate
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A group of seven European partners from Catalonia, Belgium, and Wales worked together on the Erasmus+ funded ‘Think Global’ project on global competence. The project seeks to address the following research question through development and piloting of practical classroom activities: What is global competence, and how can it be learned effectively? The Think Global project explores, through international collaboration, how global competence is defined, taught, learned, and measured in the...
14. Social Entrepreneurship
In this specialization you will learn how to create societal impact through Social Entrepreneurship. Social Entrepreneurship describes the discovery and sustainable exploitation of opportunities to create social change. We will introduce you to examples of Social Entrepreneurship and guide you through the process of establishing a venture to address a social or environment problem. You will form of team and study a problematic issue to learn more about the source of the problem. We will equip...
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16. Preparation for CELTA Teacher Training
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Top 10 most affordable universities for social studies teachers
The most affordable schools for social studies teachers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for social studies teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for social studies teachers.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
7. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
10. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for social studies teachers
The hardest universities for social studies teachers to get into are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for social studies teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for social studies teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for social studies teachers
The easiest schools for social studies teachers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and san francisco state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a social studies teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for social studies teachers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
7. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
8. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
9. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
10. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,019
Average social studies teacher salary by education level
| Social studies teacher education level | Social studies teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $56,395 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $47,769 |
| Doctorate Degree | $56,985 |
Social studies teacher education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025