Summary of Changes
As a "comprehensive" licensure program, the Social Studies Education program leads to Florida teacher certification (grades 6-12) that allows instruction in history, geography, sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, and political science. Essential to the program is the ability to ensure that students encounter courses representing these disciplines in a manner supportive of the goals and objectives of the university and college as well as those related to the profession.

During the 2003-04 academic year, program faculty completed a self-study associated with the College of Education and Human Services NCATE and DOE accreditation reviews. The self-study, grounded in state and professional content standards, illustrated a need to reduce course options and to require courses that directly support the aforementioned content disciplines. Based upon selected electives, current program students may not have mastered the knowledge and skills needed to successfully teach the content identified within the Florida Sunshine State Standards and to master content required of them by the Florida Subject Area Competencies and tested by the Florida Teacher Certification Exam.

The requests made in item four above support social studies content mastery required of grades
6-12 social studies teachers. By deleting optional selections, students will be required to complete prerequisite courses in American history since 1877 (AMH 2020), American government (POS 2041), psychology (PSY 2012), macroeconomics (ECO 2013), cultural geography (GEO 2420) and either anthropology (ANT 2000) or sociology (SYG 2000). As part of the requested revisions to the program's major requirements, optional selections are now modified requiring students to complete courses in American history to 1877 (AMH 2010) and microeconomics (ECO 2023).