Social Sciences Education
What you'll do in college
Social Sciences Education majors prepare to teach subjects like history, geography, economics, and government. Your curriculum will blend broad surveys of global and national history with specialized education courses focused on civic engagement, critical thinking, and social studies instructional design.
You will learn how to bring historical events, societal structures, and environmental issues to life for students, completing your degree with a student-teaching practicum.
What you'll do after college
The most common career path is becoming a middle or high school social studies or history teacher. Because social studies is a core subject, these roles are staples in every educational district.
Graduates also utilize their strong research and communication skills to work as museum educators, historical site interpreters, curriculum developers, or in civic and educational nonprofits.
Famous graduates
- Carter G. Woodson — Historian, author, and educator known as the "Father of Black History"; B.A. from the University of Chicago and Ph.D. from Harvard University
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences Education | 344 | 2,500 | 54% / 46% | 0% | $54,452 | 96% |
| Social Studies Education | 145 | 853 | 60% / 40% | 0% | $53,473 | 96% |
| Social Studies Teacher Education | 74 | 506 | 56% / 44% | 1% | $54,751 | 96% |
| History Teacher Education | 82 | 378 | 58% / 42% | 0% | $55,452 | 96% |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 3 | 229 | 17% / 83% | 2% | $55,063 | 100% |
| Social Science Teacher Education | 34 | 171 | 50% / 50% | 1% | $55,245 | 97% |
| History Education | 36 | 138 | 55% / 45% | 0% | $54,000 | 96% |
| Social Science Education | 7 | 32 | 69% / 31% | 0% | $54,876 | 99% |
| Adolescence Education Social Studies | 1 | 29 | 62% / 38% | 0% | $57,037 | 100% |
| History Teaching | 1 | 29 | 45% / 55% | 0% | $55,512 | 84% |
| Social Science Teaching | 1 | 28 | 54% / 46% | 0% | $56,847 | 96% |
| Secondary Education (Grades 6-12): Social Studies | 1 | 27 | 59% / 41% | 0% | $54,376 | |
| Integrated Social Studies Education (Grades 7-12) | 1 | 25 | 60% / 40% | 0% | $53,603 | 97% |
| Integrated Social Studies Education | 2 | 17 | 53% / 47% | 0% | $54,168 | 96% |
| Social Studies Teaching | 1 | 13 | 62% / 38% | 0% | $51,360 | 96% |
| Teacher Education: Social Studies Education | 1 | 11 | 36% / 64% | 0% | $48,314 | 93% |
| History and Social Studies Education | 1 | 10 | 90% / 10% | 0% | $58,522 | 100% |
| Geography Teacher Education | 3 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $56,666 | 95% |
| Environmental Education | 2 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $52,912 | 100% |