According to West Virginia Social Studies Policy 2520.4, “Social Studies [are] the
heart and soul that provides students with the knowledge necessary to understand the
strength and challenges of our country and the skills to make it even greater one
day.” (page 6, WV Contents and Standards, Social Studies).
Fairmont State offers a BA degree in Education which leads to teaching certification in Social Studies (Grades 5 through Adult) in the State of West Virginia. To gain admission into the program, students must:
- Take EDUC 2200 and 2200L, or EDUC 2201 during their first two semesters
- Score a B or better in all the following classes: ENGL 1101, 1102, COMM 2200 (or 2201), MATH 1407 (or
MATH 1507); alternatively, students can pass the Praxis I Basic Skills Tests in Math,
Reading Comprehension and Writing.
The “Social Studies 5-Adult Comprehensive Specialization” is composed essentially of three parts: a Social Studies curriculum (or “content”) of 60 credit hours; a professional program of studies in Education totaling 40 hours which includes Education courses and clinical/field experiences; and a Core Curriculum requirement of at least 20 separate hours (not including those attributes of the Core Curriculum that are covered by Social
Studies and Education classes) of broadly based study across disciplines. Total required
hours for the program are 120. Students are required to pass the Social Studies Praxis II Content Test and have a satisfactory score on the West Virginia Teacher Performance Assessment. Finally, students are required to maintain a 3.0 grade point average in their Social Studies content and Education content classes and a 3.0 overall average.
