Requirements of the History: Social Studies Education Major 

Requirements of the History: Social Studies Education Major 

The History Education major is being amalgamated with the Social Studies Education major (previously part of Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science) into a new major, administered by the Department of History, which will be called History: Social Studies Education. Please follow the guidelines below.

Seniors in Fall 2023: If you will be a senior in Fall 2023, having already completed TE 302 and around 88 or more credits, and graduating in Spring or Summer 2024, you will remain a History Education major. Please follow the existing requirements for your final year at MSU, taking TE 407 in Fall Semester (look for the Social Studies sections either 004 or 008) and TE 408 in Spring Semester (same section required in TE 407 Fall and TE 408 Spring so you work in the same school). TE 409 is only required if you are adding an additional non-social science minor, like English, Math, or other. The teaching minor is still required for seniors completing the History Education major.

Juniors in Fall 2023: If you will be a junior in Fall 2023, with around 56-87 credits completed by the end of this summer and are planning on graduating in Spring or Summer 2025, or later, then you will need to transition to the new TE course requirements for your enrollment this Fall. The new requirements are still pending final approval at the University but are likely to be approved very soon. There will not be a requirement for a teaching minor.

Junior year: In addition to the University requirements, you will need to take the following courses for the disciplinary portion of the major (some of which you have probably already taken): HST 140, 150, 201, 202, 203, 320 and 48x; GEO 204, 221 and 330; EC 201 and 202; PLS 100, 140 and one of the following PLS courses: 320, 320, 324 or 325. You will also need to plan to take the following TE courses for the new program by the end of the junior year: TE 101, TE 150, CEP 240, TE 102, TE 302, TE 341, TE 325. In the senior year, students will take TE 425, TE 426, TE 427 and TE 428 (please note that TE 407, TE 408 and TE 409 will not be taught anymore). It is highly recommended that students plan to not take more than 12 credits in the Fall Semester of the Senior year, and not more than 9 credits in the Spring Semester of the Senior year, as the TE classes will be very time consuming and may not allow for students to be on campus to attend. Students may want to plan on taking some summer courses to allow for the senior year fall and spring course plans to include fewer credits.

Sophomores in Fall 2023: If you will be a second-year student or sophomore in Fall 2023, with between 1-56 credits completed by the end of summer, please plan to work on finishing the University requirements, take some of the major courses in HST, GEO, PLS and EC listed above for juniors, and also, plan to take TE 101, TE 150, CEP 240 and TE 102 prior to the start of the junior year.

Freshmen in Fall 2023: Concentrate on taking courses towards completion of university requirements and take any of the following courses: CEP 240, TE 101, TE 150, TE 102 (in Spring if you took TE 101 in Fall); HST 140, 150, 201, 202, 203; GEO 204, 221 and 330; EC 201 and 202; PLS 100 and 140. Try to average at least 15 credits per semester.

Click here for a sample recommended four-year progress plan.

For questions about the History: Social Studies Education Major, contact Professor Emily Tabuteau at tabuteau@msu.edu.