Adolescent Social Studies
Program Overview
This master’s program will prepare you to teach Social Studies to middle school and high school students of diverse backgrounds, abilities and interests in grades 7 to 12. This program is offered jointly with the History Department in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Coursework and Clinical Experiences
Courses are offered in the afternoon and evening. Some courses may be available in an online or hybrid format. Select courses have required hours of classroom experience (fieldwork) in a New York City public school. Students also participate in supervised teaching (student teaching and/or practicum) as the culmination of their course of study. Student teaching and/or practicum requires five full days per week for at least one semester.
Credits
40 to 46 (Including 12 to 18 credits of coursework in History and Geography)
Certification
Adolescent Social Studies Education Grades 7 to 12
Eligibility and Admission Requirements
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of at least 3.0
- A major of at least 30 credits in one of the areas of social studies (history, political science, geography, or economics) with a GPA of 3.0, including at least 12 credits in history, 3 credits in geography, 3 credits in political science, and 3 credits in economics. The coursework in history must include at least one course in each of the following areas: U.S. history, European history, and world or non-Western history.
- Applicants are encouraged to upload history course syllabi or descriptions to their application.
- A general education core in the liberal arts and sciences to include: artistic expression, communication, information retrieval, concepts in history and social sciences, humanities, a world language other than English, scientific and mathematical processes, and written analysis and expression (Waived for Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 applicants)
- Two letters of recommendation
- A statement of purpose
- An official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score report (Waived for Spring 2025 and Fall 2025 applicants)
To Apply
Applications are accepted each Fall and Spring semester.
To start your application, visit the Hunter College Online Application.
When applying to this program, under Program of Study, select School of Education – Adolescent Education and Adolescent Education Social Studies (Grades 7-12).
Application Deadlines
Fall Start
- March 15
- April 15 (Extended Deadline)
Spring Start
- October 15
- November 1 (Extended Deadline)
Visit How to Apply for information about deadline extensions.
Related Programs
This program is not designed for individuals who have initial NYS certification in Social Studies 7-12. If you seek a Master’s Degree and Professional Certification in a related field, consider our programs in Adolescent Special Education, Literacy Grades 5-12 or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
If you have a master’s degree in History, Economics, Political Science or Geography, you may be eligible for our Post-Master’s Advanced Certificate program in Adolescent Social Studies.
Contact an Admissions Advisor
School of Education Faculty Advisor
Department of History Faculty Advisor