Teacher Certification Requirements

This page contains a description of the program that both undergraduate and post baccalaureate students must follow, including an explanation of the requirements for the major and the social studies courses and links to College of Education pages on teacher licensure requirements.

Students with a bachelor's degree seeking (fast-track) lateral entry licensure should contact the College of Education to enquire about their options including the new MAT fast-track licensure program.

The Undergraduate Program in Teacher Certification

In order to receive a license to teach history and social studies in high school in North Carolina, students must earn a BA in History and complete courses in the social studies content area and in education.  Students pursuing a degree in middle grades education should see the College of Education.  Of course to get a degree from UNC Charlotte, you also need to complete your general education requirements and have at least 120 credit hours of course work. 

For information and advising on the education courses needed for licensure you should consult an advisor in the College of Education.

Advising Information

Because the requirements are complex, we strongly recommend that you seek advice from both the Department of History and the College of Education on a regular basis.  However, you will need to see your advisors at the following key points in your program:

1.  Deciding to pursue the degree (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior)

When you decide to pursue the degree, you need to declare a history major and indicate your intent to pursue teacher certification.  In the History Department, you will be assigned to a faculty adviser who will describe the program and determine which courses you need to take.  You should also register with the Office of Student Affairs in the College of Education; they will assign you an adviser and explain their requirements.  

2. Admission into the Teacher Education Program (Junior, sometimes sophomore year)

You cannot be formally admitted into the teacher education program until you meet the following requirements:

• You have completed MDSK 2100 with a ‘C' or better
• You have taken the Praxis I test and received a passing score, or have a score of 1100 or better on the SAT or 24 or better on the ACT; see TEAL for details.
• You have maintained an overall grade point average of 2.5

In order to be admitted, you will need to complete a form available in the College of Education and have it signed by your History adviser.  Once you are admitted, you will be able to register for the upper level education courses required for licensure.

3.  Application for Student Teaching (senior year)

You cannot apply for student teaching unless you meet the following conditions:

• You have completed your coursework in History, Social Studies, Education, and General Education.
• You have maintained at 2.75 minimum GPA in all history classes and a "C" or better in the social studies courses.

In order to apply for student teaching, you will need to fill out a form available from the College of Education and have it signed by your history adviser.  We strongly recommend that you begin your preparation for the PRAXIS II test at this point.

For those interested in year long internships, please contact the College of Education and the Office of Field Experiences.

History Course Selection

The basic requirements for the History major are the same for students in the secondary certification program as for other majors; however there are some requirements and suggestions concerning course selection:

• It is highly recommended that students take both sections of US History survey.
• Students are advised, all other things being equal, to choose courses which give them exposure to a wide range of times and places; in Western as well as non-Western history.  This breadth will help prepare you for the broad curriculum you must teach in high school and it also is useful background for the PRAXIS II content area test.
• Students should take advantage of the following applied history course offerings: HIST 3000: US History for Teachers, HIST 3300: World History for Teachers, HIST 3310: Teaching History.

Although we allow a degree of flexibility in the choice of those electives, students intending to teach history and social studies are strongly urged to take the courses on the HINTS AND HELP page of this web.  Taking some or all of these courses will help you pass the PRAXIS II test and will expose you to the range of different topics you will need to teach your students.

NOTE: Students seeking certification must maintain a 2.75 GPA in all history courses.

Requirements for Social Studies Content Courses

In addition to the History Major, all students wishing to be certified to teach social studies in high school (the bulk of available jobs require this certification) are required to take 12 hours of related work in social studies disciplines distributed as follows:

ECON    Any economics course including: Economics for Non Majors (ECON 1101), Macro Economics (ECON 2101), Micro Economics (ECON 2102)

POLS 1110     Intro to American Politics

POLS 1130 or 1150     Intro to International Politics or Intro to Comparative Politics

LBST 2102--Geography

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