Total Semester Hours required for the Degree: 128 semester hours
Semester Hours required for the History with Teacher Licensure Option: 69 semester hours
The History with Teacher Licensure in Social Science Option is for students who would like to major in History and gain Illinois state licensure at the secondary level to teach all of the social sciences (history, economics, geography, political science, psychology and sociology/anthropology). Students wanting to teach AP or Honors in any individual subject besides history need an endorsement. For students also wanting to be eligible to teach middle school social studies, passage of an additional content test is required.
This option requires that students follow and meet the requirements for Admission, Retention and Graduation from Teacher Licensure programs as described in the "Teacher Licensure Programs" section of this catalog and as explained at the University Admission to Teacher Education Meeting which all students must attend. Additional information on Admission, Retention and Graduation for Teacher Licensure programs can be found on the College of Education, Health and Human Services website.
Students must receive a "C" or better in all courses used toward graduation, regardless of where they are taken. This includes general education, professional education, major and minor course, all university required courses, and electives. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative and major GPA of 2.65 in order to continue in the education program. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 and major GPA of 2.75, in order to be approved for student teaching. Approval for student teaching requires that the minimum GPA be held at the beginning of the semester prior to the student-teaching semester. Per state guidelines, students must also pass the requisite ILTS content test in order to be licensed to teach.
Students must complete the professional education coursework following the Secondary Education Professional Education Sequence. Information is available in the Teacher Licensure Program section of this catalog.
Per state guidelines, students may need to pass the appropriate test (whether it be APT, edTPA, or some other test) before they can receive their teaching license from Illinois or any other state.
History with Teacher Licensure Option Comprises:
Students must complete all the professional coursework under the Regular Secondary Education Program.
40 Semester Hours of General Education
Up to 18 hours from the Major may double count for General Education, and students are advised to review major requirements as they select General Education coursework.
34 Semester Hours in the Professional Education Core
The Professional Education Core consists of the Regular program (See below.)
Regular Program:
EDF 2555
Education in a Diverse Society: The Multilingual/Multicultural Classroom. (3 credits)
EDF 4550
Critical Focus on Education. (3 credits)
EDP 2330
Educational Psychology/Foundations for Teachers. (3 credits)
SED 2000
Inquiry Into Teaching. (2 credits)
SED 4330
Literacy, Assessment, and Differentiation in Secondary Schools. (3 credits)
SED 4335
Effective Teaching Environments in Secondary Schools. (4 credits)
(SED 3330 may be substituted for SED 4335 if previously taken.)
SPE 4500
The Education of Individuals with Exceptional Learning Needs: Access to the General Curriculum. (3 credits)
(SPE 3500 may be substituted for SPE 4500 if previously taken.)
STG 4000
Multicultural/Disabilities Practicum. (1 credits)
STG 4001
Student Teaching. (6 to 16 credits)
(Register for 12 semester hours)
69 Semester Hours in Major Courses
(13 of which overlap with general education courses)
Upper-Division U.S. History Elective. Credits: 3
Upper-Division non-U.S. History Electives. Credits: 3
Two Upper-Division History Electives. Credits: 6
As part of the Upper-Division Electives, one course that carries the Inclusive History Designation:
HIS 3210
History of the Modern Middle East. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 3260
Modern Latin America. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 3320
History of Modern China. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 3405
Absolutist France and The Wider World. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 3450
Modern Germany. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 3560
The Transatlantic Slave Trade. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 3750
African-American History: A Survey. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 3900
Women in American History. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 3930
The Civil War Era. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 4845
Gender and Sexuality in Modern Europe. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 4782
Modern Iran. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 4870
The Two Koreas. (3 credits)
OR
HIS 4880
Modern Japan: From Samurai to Freeters. (3 credits)
ANT 2200
Introduction to Anthropology. (3 credits)
or
SOC 1838
Introductory Sociology. (3 credits)
ECN 2801
Principles of Macroeconomics. (3 credits)
or
ECN 2802
Principles of Microeconomics. (3 credits)
GEO 1100
Cultural Geography. (3 credits)
GEO 1200
World Regional Geography. (3 credits)
HIS 1101
Introduction to Historical Studies. (3 credits)
HIS 1500
Roots of the Modern World: Society and Religion. (3 credits)
HIS 2010
History of the United States to 1877. (3 credits)
HIS 2020
History of the United States Since 1877. (3 credits)
HIS 2500
Historical Research and Writing. (3 credits)
HIS 2560
Early Modern World History. (3 credits)
HIS 3555
Modern World History. (3 credits)
HIS 3600
The U.S. Constitution and the Nation. (3 credits)
PLS 1153
American Government and Constitution. (3 credits)
PLS 2253
Introduction to International Relations. (3 credits)
PSY 1879
Introductory Psychology. (3 credits)
SOS 3400
Middle Level and Secondary Social Studies Teaching Methods. (3 credits)
AND
ONE of these PLS Electives
PLS 3603
State and Local Government. (3 credits)
PLS 3543
Civil Liberties in America. (3 credits)
PLS 3253
Human Rights and International Law. (3 credits)
PLS 3653
American Indian Politics. (3 credits)
PLS 3703
African American Politics. (3 credits)
PLS 3903
Women & Politics. (3 credits)
PLS 3743
Congress. (3 credits)
PLS 3753
The American Presidency. (3 credits)
PLS 3723
Political Behavior. (3 credits)
PLS 4774
American Constitutional Law. (3 credits)
Other Courses by Approval of Department Chair.
AND
One of these HIS Electives聽
HIS 2030
US History: The Black Experience. (3 credits)
HIS 2040
US History: Gender and Sexuality. (3 credits)
HIS 2050
US History: Building Latino/a/e Communities. (3 credits)
Other Courses by Approval of Department Chair.
AND
One of these HIS Electives
HIS 1521
World History: Human Rights in History. (3 credits)
HIS 1525
World History: Empires in Global History. (3 credits)
HIS 3175
History of Christianity. (3 credits)
HIS 3200
Islamic History: From Origins to the 14th Century. (3 credits)
HIS 3210
History of the Modern Middle East. (3 credits)
HIS 3255
Colonial Latin America. (3 credits)
HIS 3260
Modern Latin America. (3 credits)
HIS 3330
Modern East Asia in the Pacific Century. (3 credits)
HIS 3750
African-American History: A Survey. (3 credits)
HIS 3800
U.S. Diplomatic History. (3 credits)
HIS 3810
History of Illinois. (3 credits)
HIS 3900
Women in American History. (3 credits)
HIS 4775
Selected Topics in History A-B, D-F, H-M, O-Q, T-Y. (2 to 3 credits)
(Sports in History)
HIS 4845
Gender and Sexuality in Modern Europe. (3 credits)
Other Courses by Approval of Department Chair
Footnotes:
Students must complete all the professional coursework under the Secondary Education Program.
Major GPA based on all聽ANT, ECN, GEO, HIS, PLS, PSY, SOC, and SOS聽courses taken at EIU.
HIS 4375 also satisfies the general education senior seminar requirement for majors; HIS 4644 satisfies the general education senior seminar requirement for majors in departmental honors.
Information sourced from the 2026-2027 EIU Undergraduate Catalog.
