Integrated Social Studies with Adolescent to Young Adult (Grades 7-12) Licensure BA
Turn your interest in history, government, economics, or geography into a career teaching middle and high school. This program gives you both a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and Ohio licensure to teach Integrated Social Studies in grades 7-12.
Program Overview
Do you have a passion for history, politics, or cultural studies? Turn your interest into a meaningful career teaching students in grades 7–12. The Bachelor of Arts in Social Science – Integrated Social Studies with Adolescent to Young Adult (AYA) Licensure prepares you to teach history, civics, government, geography, economics, and other social studies content in public or private middle and high schools.
Through this program, you’ll explore the full spectrum of the social sciences, engage deeply with educational theory and practice, and gain over 700 hours of classroom fieldwork, including a full student teaching semester. This program provides both a bachelor’s degree in social science and Ohio teaching licensure for Grades 7–12 in Integrated Social Studies.
Career Outcomes
How to Apply
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Start your application
Free, takes about 15 minutes.
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Send transcripts
Have your high school guidance counselor send them to admissions@shawnee.edu
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File the FAFSA
School code 009942. Required for Free Tuition.
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Get your decision
Most decisions in under 7 days.
At A Glance
Integrated Social Studies with Adolescent to Young Adult (Grades 7-12) Licensure BA
Degree
B.A.
Format
On Campus
Length
4 years (full-time)
Credits
122
Why Study Integrated Social Studies with Adolescent to Young Adult (Grades 7-12) Licensure BA at Shawnee University
Two credentials, one program. You graduate with a BA in Social Science and an Ohio AYA license to teach Integrated Social Studies in grades 7-12.
Deep content, not just methods. You'll work through history, geography, government, civics, economics, sociology, anthropology, and political theory - more than just a teaching certificate.
700+ hours of classroom time. Field placements start in your first year and build through to a full student-teaching semester in a grades 7-12 classroom.
Faculty with feet in both worlds. You'll learn from instructors who know both the social sciences and the K-12 classroom.
Reciprocity friendly. The Ohio AYA license travels - many other states honor it through reciprocity, so you can teach where you want to be.
The 122-credit degree pairs a broad social science core with secondary education methods coursework and a full student-teaching semester.
- General Education Program (40 credits)
- First Year Experience (1 credit): University Foundations
- Social Studies Core (42 credits): cultural anthropology, micro- and macroeconomics, world and cultural geography, national government, political theory, constitutional law, U.S. history, world history, sociology, foundations of social science
- Social Studies Electives (6 credits): choose from courses like Geography of North America, Ancient History, East Asian History, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Appalachian Studies, Sociology of the Family
- Professional Education Core (12 credits): exceptional learning needs, educational media and technology, cultural diversity, curriculum and assessment
- Adolescent to Young Adult Education Core (21 credits): foundations of secondary education, two capstones, secondary curriculum and management, directed teaching and seminar, teaching social studies 7-12
- Related Studies (9 credits): intro to psychology, child and adolescent psychology, educational psychology
Hands-on classroom experience starts in your first education course. Placements grow more complex each semester and culminate in Directed Teaching and Seminar - a full semester in a grades 7-12 classroom where you plan lessons, manage instruction, and work with a mentor teacher and university supervisor.
- Demonstrate deep understanding of history, government, economics, and geography
- Create engaging, inclusive, and standards-aligned lesson plans
- Manage classroom instruction for diverse adolescent learners
- Guide students in critical thinking about past and present social issues
- Meet the requirements for Ohio licensure in Integrated Social Studies (Grades 7-12)
On campus at Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio. Field experience and student teaching happen in partner schools in the region.
- Grades 7-12 social studies teacher (history, government, economics, geography)
- Middle or high school humanities educator
- Private school history or social science instructor
- Curriculum and instructional roles in social studies
- Graduate study in history, education, public policy, or law
Graduates teach social studies in middle and high schools across Ohio, with many other states offering license reciprocity. Some go on to graduate study or into related fields like public policy, museum education, or nonprofit work.
Requirements Checklist
Below are the degree requirements for AYA programs in sequence.
To view them, you will need Microsoft Excel. If you can’t open these documents please contact pbrown@shawnee.edu for an alternative.
- AYA Earth Science Sequence Chart
- AYA Integrated Language Arts Sequence Chart
- AYA Integrated Mathematics Sequence Chart
- AYA Integrated Science Sequence Chart
- AYA Integrated Social Studies Sequence Chart
- AYA Life Science Sequence Chart
- AYA Physical Science Sequence Chart
View in catalog
Tuition and Financial Aid
Shawnee State’s tuition is among the lowest in Ohio, and the Shawnee Advantage Tuition Guarantee keeps your rate flat for four years. Scholarships including Choose Ohio First and the Pell-Eligible Free Tuition Program may also apply.
Integrated Social Studies with Adolescent to Young Adult (Grades 7-12) Licensure BA Frequently Asked Questions
This degree gives you both a BA in Social Science and Ohio licensure to teach Integrated Social Studies in grades 7-12. A general education studies degree (BSE) is non-licensure.
No. Integrated Social Studies licensure prepares you to teach across history, government, economics, geography, and more.
In your first year. Clinical hours are built into every semester and increase in responsibility each year.
Yes, in most states. Ohio's license has reciprocity in many states, but check the licensure board where you plan to teach for specifics.
Program handbook
Contact the program coordinator (pmadden@shawnee.edu or (740) 351-3547) for the current Integrated Social Studies handbook. Course descriptions and degree requirements are in the Academic Catalog.
Accreditation
Approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education and aligned with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Graduates are eligible to apply for Ohio Integrated Social Studies (7-12) licensure. Shawnee State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
